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BOOKS  FOR  BOYS 

BY 

GEORGE  CARY  EGGLESTON 


Each  Handsomely  Illustrated. 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  FLATBOATS.     A  Story  of  the 
Mississippi  and  Its  Interesting  Family  of  Rivers. 

CAMP  VENTURE.       A  Story  of  the   Virginia  Moun- 
tains.    Adventures  among  the   "  Moonshiners." 

THE  BALE  MARKED   CIRCLE    X.      A    Blockade- 
Running  Adventure. 

JACK  SHELBY.    A  Story  of   the  Indiana  Backwoods. 

LONG  KNIVES.       The  Story  of  How  They  Won  the 
West.     A  Tale  of  George  Rogers  Clark's  Expedition. 

WHAT  HAPPENED   AT   QUASI.       The   Story  of  a 
Carolina  Cruise.    A  Tale  of  Sport  and  Adventure. 


For  Sale  by  All  Booksellers,    or  Sent  Postpaid  on 
Receipt  of  Price  by  the  Publishers 

LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO.,  BOSTON 


Il     WAS     WITH      I  HI.     UTMOST    DIFFICULTY    THAT    THEY     MAINTAINED 

their  hold."     See  page  181. 


if 


K 
$ 


m 


in 


The 

BALE  MARKED 
CIRCLE    X 


IMMMM 


A    BLOCKADE    RUNNING 
ADVENTURE 


0 


By   GEORGE    CARY    EGGLESTON 

Author    of 

"A  Carolina  Cavalibr" 
"The  Last  of  the  Flatboats" 
••Camp    Vikturb,"    ktc. 


Illiutrated  by  C.  Chasb  Embrson 


LOTHROP,     LEE     &    SHEPARD     CO.,    BOSTON 


PfcORtA 


SEP 


# 


Be 
Be 

Published       May,       190  a 


COPYRIGHT, 

1902, 

By    LOTHROP 

PUBLISHING 

COMPANY. 

ALL    RIGHTS 

R  ES  E  R V  ED 

Berwick     and    Smith 

Printers 
Norwood.         Mass. 


CONTENTS 


CHAFia 

PAGE 

I. 

"  Hurry  "   Orders  . 

ii 

II. 

"Ready"           

18 

III. 

A  Night  in  Richmond  . 

.     23 

IV. 

The  Bale  Marked  Circle  X  . 

37 

V. 

The  Young  Shipmaster 

48 

VI. 

Th$  "Sairey  Ann"      . 

■      58 

VII. 

Captain  and  Crew  .... 

.      67 

VIII. 

The  Battle  in  the  Creek     . 

,     82 

IX. 

The  Prisoner 

.      92 

X. 

In  the  Gulf  Stream 

.    102 

XI. 

The  Prisoner's  Story     . 

.    112 

XII. 

Tibe's  Remarkable  Calculation  . 

,    121 

XIII. 

Windward  Work      .... 

.    133 

XIV. 

The  Behavior  of  the  "  Sairey  Ann  ' 

'    143 

XV. 

In  the  Trades 

.    152 

XVI. 

The  Barbarism  of  War  . 

.    159 

XVII. 

A  Point  of  Honor  .... 

.    172 

XVIII. 

A  White  Squall     .... 

.    179 

XIX. 

Ashore 

.    187 

XX. 

Exploration  and  a  Discovery 

.    197 

XXI. 

An  All  Night  Vigil 

.    207 

XXII. 

One  Day's  Work    . 

,    217 

XXIII. 

Turtles,  Tides  and  Talks 

,    227 

XXIV. 

Max  Asserts  His  Authority  . 

■    237 

CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXV.  George  Smith  Tells  a  Little  Story    .    249 

XXVI.  Three  Male  Flora  McFlimseys    .       .    255 

XXVII.  A  Supper  in  Courses      .       .       .       .262 

XXVIII.  At  Work  on  the  Wreck       .       .       .    270 

XXIX.  The  Beaching  of  the  "  Sairey  Ann  "  .    278 

XXX.  Under  a  Southern  Moon       .       .       .    287 

XXXI.  A  Disturbed  Night  and  a  Busy  Day    .    299 

XXXII.  The  Philosophy  of  Tiberius  Gracchus 

Smith  307 

XXXIII.  Tibe's  Triumph 314 

XXXIV.  Right  Side  Up 322 

XXXV.  A  Time  for  Hurried  Work    .       .       .331 

XXXVI.  The  "Sairey  Ann  "  Floats  .       .       .338 

XXXVII.  Toilers  of  the  Night     .       .       •       .346 

XXXVIII.  "Once  More  Upon  the  Waurs".       .    353 

XXXIX.  Nearing   Port 359 

XL.  Major  Max 367 


IL  LUSTRA  TIO  NS 

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmamammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 

"It  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  they  maintained 

their  hold" Frontispiec* 

PAGE 

"He  leveled  his  gun  indeed,  and  cocked  it,  and  took 

deliberate  aim  with  it19 28 

"'Are  these  good  to  eat  Vm 263 

"Then  the  three  seized  the  corners  of  the  triangular 

cloth,  and  gently  carried  the  boy  to  the  ship"        .    355 


BALE  MARKED  " 


»       CIRCLE   X 


The  Bale  Marked  Circle  X 


CHAPTER  I 
Hurry"   Orders 


a 


THE  September  sun  was  intensely  hot.  The 
hour  was  one  of  the  clock  in  the  after- 
noon, and  the  tide  was  at  dead  low  ebb, 
with  no  wind  whatever  blowing.     Of  course  the 
fish  were  biting  very  slowly  even  when  biting  at 
all. 

Now  and  then  Billy  Boker  would  haul  in  a 
whiting,  and  lose  himself  in  admiration  of  its 
brilliant,  changing  colors.  Now  and  then  his 
companion,  Max  Voxetter — or,  to  be  more  exact, 
Sergeant-Major  Maximilian  Voxetter — would 
land  a  croaker,  and  admire  the  beautiful  spot  near 
its  tail.  But  in  the  main  the  fish  had  retired  to 
the  deeper  outside  waters,  and  the  two  boy-sol- 
diers were  sitting  in  their  boat  and  simply  wait- 
ing for  the  sure  returning  of  the  tide,  to  set  fish 
appetites  agoing  again,  and  to  enable  themselves 

II 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

by  their  hooks  to  provide  dinner  for  the  hundred 
and  thirty  hungry  men  of  the  battery  that  lay 
in  camp  at  Bluffton. 

Bluffton  was  a  deserted  village,  war-wrecked 
and  at  that  time  completely  abandoned  by  its 
population.  It  is  situated  in  the  extreme  south- 
eastern corner  of  South  Carolina,  and  is  alto- 
gether the  "  town  beautiful." 

The  vast  agglomeration  of  inlets,  for  conve- 
nience called  South  May  River,  had  been  reduced 
by  the  receding  tide  to  scarcely  more  than  an  ex- 
tensive marsh,  seamed  here  and  there  with  creek9 
and  estuaries  of  doubtful  depth,  and  of  immeas- 
urably muddy  bottoms.  All  this  wilderness  of 
marsh,  creeks,  and  sloughs  was  destined  presently 
to  be  restored,  by  the  incoming  tide,  to  its  normal 
condition  of  a  complex  expanse  of  half-inland 
sea,  half  salt  marsh,  so  full  of  voracious  fish  that 
no  question  could  trouble  the  two  fishing  boys  as 
to  the  abundance  of  the  dinner  which  they — Max 
Voxetter  and  Billy  Boker — daily  undertook  to 
provide  for  the  battery  of  men  on  shore — a  bat- 
tery of  Virginian  mountaineers  whose  ignorance 
of  sea-fishing  was  as  pronounced  as  is  the  South 
Sea  Islander's  misconception  of  an  Alaska  bliz- 
zard. 

Billy  Boker — seventeen  or  eighteen  years  old 
and  only  five  feet  two  inches  high  if  he  raised  his 

12 


"HURRT"   ORDERS 


heels  a  little — and  Sergeant-Ma j or  Maximilian 
Voxetter — nineteen  years  old,  but  standing  fully 
five  feet  ten  in  his  stockings — were  charged  with 
the  duty  of  catching  at  least  two  hundred  food 
fishes  during  each  day  in  order  to  feed  the  bat- 
tery, which  had  no  other  food  supply  of  any  sort 
than  that  of  the  sea. 

The  boys  had  no  fear,  however.  The  tide  was 
out  now,  and  the  marshes  were  exuding  odors 
that  could  by  no  possible  stretch  of  the  imagina- 
tion be  supposed  to  be  the  exhilarating  perfumes 
of  Araby.  But  it  needed  only  the  turn  of  the 
waters  which  the  slowly  swinging  boat  reported 
as  now  upon  them,  to  enable  Max  and  Billy 
quickly  to  fill  their  little  craft,  The  Rebel,  with  the 
choicest  fish  of  the  sea,  while  casting  overboard 
all  the  sting-rays,  dog-fish,  toad-fish,  pin-cush- 
ions and  villainous  little  sharks  that  their  shrimp 
bait  mightily  tempted  to  interference  with  their 
hooks  and  lines. 

Still  the  tide  had  not  yet  fully  turned  and  the 
fish  had  not  yet  begun  in  earnest  to  bite  when 
Billy  Boker  in  his  nonchalant  fashion,  which  al- 
ways grew  more  nonchalant  as  the  occasion  for 
hurry  increased,  called  out  to  his  companion : 

"  That's  a  good  big  sting-ray  that  you  have 
hooked,  Max,  but  there's  no  time  to  land  him  and 
cut  off  his  tail,  for  I  may  casually  remark  that  I 

*3 


THE  BALE  MARKED    CIRCLE  X 

observe  on  the  flag  staff  at  camp  yonder,  what  I 
have  been  carefully  instructed  by  you,  as  my  su- 
perior and  wisely  over-informed  officer,  to  regard 
as  a  '  double-hurry  signal/  It  means,  if  I  inter- 
pret it  aright,  that  you  are  to  go  ashore  in  about 
the  fewest  number  of  seconds  that  you  can  man- 
age ;  so  perhaps  you  had  better  cut  your  fish  line 
while  I  pull  up  the  anchor." 

Billy  spoke  deliberately,  quite  as  if  he  had  all 
the  lazy,  sub-tropical  afternoon  in  which  to  finish 
his  Flowly  begun  sentence,  but  the  two  boys  hur- 
ried nevertheless.  Before  Billy  Boker  had  fin- 
ished what  he  had  to  say,  Max's  line  was  severed 
at  the  gunwale,  the  anchor  was  in  the  boat  with 
all  its  mud  unwashed  from  its  flukes,  and  the  two 
stalwart  young  fellows  were  pulling  with  all  their 
might  at  the  long,  limber  oars. 

11 1  hope  it  means  orders  of  some  sort/'  said 
Max  as  he  gave  the  stroke.  "  I  am  utterly  tired 
out  with  inaction.  After  all  our  hot  fighting  in 
Virginia  last  summer,  this  South  Carolina  coast 
service  seemed  a  sort  of  rest  at  first  to  me,  but  I 
am  getting  very,  very  tired  of  it.  I  would  like 
something  livelier/' 

"  So  would  I,"  answered  Billy,  struggling 
hard,  with  his  short  anatomy,  to  keep  stroke  with 
Max's  enormous  oar  swings.  "  Only,  my  dear 
boy,  you  should  say  '  something  more  strenuous ' 

14 


«HURRT"   ORDERS 


instead  of  '  something  livelier/  Let  us  love  this 
language  of  ours  and — " 

"Oh,  shut  up,  Billy,"  interrupted  Max. 
"  What  you  and  I  want  is  a  fight,  and  you  can  call 
it  by  any  name  you  please  if  only  we  get  it." 

11  You  are  quite  right,  my  boy,"  answered 
Billy ;  "  call  it  an  '  action  '  or  a  \  skirmish  '  or  an 
'encounter '  or,  resort  to  French  if  you  like,  and 
characterize  it  as  a  *  reconnaissance ■  or  a  '  recon- 
noissance'  or  as  a  ' rencontre'  or — hello!  there's 
the  captain  hurrying  us,  so  something  is  up  any- 
how. Maybe  it  means  a  fight  with  some  force 
that  has  landed  below !  " 

With  that,  Billy,  in  his  capacity  as  bow-oar 
landed  the  boat,  with  reckless  disregard  of  her 
frail  ribs,  against  the  little  pier  on  Buck  Island 
that  served  the  battery  for  its  mooring  place. 
Max  having  shipped  his  oars  in  anticipation  of 
the  landing,  hastily  leaped  ashore  and  touched 
his  cap  to  his  commanding  officer. 

"  I  report  myself  for  duty,  sir,"  was  all  he 
said. 

"  I  have  received  these  orders,"  answered  the 
officer.  "  As  the  time  is  exceedingly  short,  to 
catch  the  train,  you  had  better  read  them  on 
horseback  and  ride  to  Hardeeville  with  all  possi- 
ble speed.  Your  horse  is  already  saddled.  A 
courier  will  follow  to  bring  the  horse  back.    You 

15 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

are  to  catch  the  evening  train  for  Charleston. 
Your  orders  will  explain  the  rest.     Go !  " 

The  boy  swung  himself  instantly  into  the  sad- 
dle, and  a  moment  later  was  agallop  on  the  long, 
eighteen-mile  ride  to  Hardeeville,  the  railroad 
station  nearest  to  Bluffton.  As  his  horse — re- 
covered from  the  excitement  of  the  spurs  that  had 
stimulated  him  while  he  was  crossing  the  little 
stretch  of  sand  which  the  fiddler  crabs  haunted  in 
such  multitudes — settled  himself  into  a  traveling 
gallop,  the  tall  boy  dropped  the  reins  upon  the  ani- 
mal's neck  and  proceeded  to  read  the  orders  that 
had  been  placed  in  his  hands.  This  was  the  way 
in  which  they  ran  : 

"  Headquarters,  Department  of  South 
Carolina  and  Georgia, 

Charleston,  Sept.  10,  1863. 

To  Captain  J.  N.  Lam  son, 

Commanding  the  Outposts, 

Bluffton,  S.  C 
Sir: 

You  are  hereby  ordered  instantly  to  detach  on 
special  service  your  Sergeant-Major  Maximilian 
Voxetter.  You  will  direct  Sergeant-Major  Max- 
imilian Voxetter  to  report  at  these  headquarters 
on  the  arrival  of  the  evening  train  to-day.  No 
excuse  for  delay  beyond  that  time  will  be  accepted. 
Sergeant-Major  Voxetter  must  present  himself  at 

16 


"HURRT"   ORDERS 


that  time  or  both  you  and  he  will  be  held  to  ac- 
countability for  the  failure. 

By  order  of  General  Beauregard. 
(Signed)         Thomas  Jordan, 

Brig.-Gen.  and  A.  A.  G" 

After  reading  it,  Max  Voxetter  pocketed  the 
order  and  gently  touched  his  horse  with  his  spurs. 
He  was  an  experienced  "  man  on  horseback ;  "  he 
knew  that  his  animal  could  do  a  trifle  more  to  the 
minute,  in  the  matter  of  speed,  than  he  was  al- 
ready doing,  but  he  knew  also  that  he  could  do 
only  a  trifle  more,  and  might  presently  do  greatly 
less  if  now  urged  beyond  reason.  So  he  put  the 
splendid  animal  at  his  best  endeavors,  and  after  a 
long,  nerve-racking  and  sweltering  ride,  he 
reached  the  railroad  station  just  as  the  train — al- 
ready half  an  hour  late — was  drawing  away  from 
the  platform.  The  youth,  with  chevrons  on  his 
arm,  gave  three  sharp  whistles  as  he  dismounted, 
and  the  engineer — who  probably  saw  the  chevrons 
and  recognized  the  authority  that  they  carried 
with  them — slowed  down  his  engine  until  the 
nimble-footed  boy,  abandoning  his  horse  where  it 
stood  in  the  roadway,  clambered  over  the  end  of 
the  platform  and  threw  himself  upon  the  last  of 
the  now  moving  cars. 

That  is  the  way  in  which  military  things  were 
done  in  that  intensely  military  time. 

>7 


CHAPTER  II 
"  Ready  !  " 

IT  was  nearly  midnight  when  the  pottering 
train  managed  at  last  to  creep  across  the 
Ashley  River  bridge  into  the  town  of 
Charleston.  Young  Voxetter,  who  was  in  no 
mood  of  sleepiness,  jumped  at  once  into  a  cab  and 
ordered  the  man  on  the  box  to  drive  like  Jehu  to 
headquarters.  The  boy  had  not  a  cent  in  his 
pocket,  and  his  transportation  papers  in  no  way 
authorized  him  to  employ  cabmen's  services,  but 
at  any  rate  he  had  orders  to  report  in  a  hurry  at 
headquarters,  and  he  confidently  assumed  that 
these  orders  carried  with  them  the  right  to  take 
cabs  and  to  hurry  them.  He  took  a  cab  there- 
fore in  full  confidence  that  its  hire  would  be  dis- 
charged by  some  quartermaster,  stationed  some- 
where, under  orders  of  the  department  com- 
mander. 

When  the  long-legged,  slender-waisted,  high- 
booted  boy  strode  into  headquarters  a  little  after 
midnight,  General  Beauregard  was  himself  at  his 
desk.     He  asked  the  boy's  name,  but  made  no 

18 


"READT" 


question  as  to  his  rank.  That  was  indicated  of 
course  by  the  three  chevrons  and  the  three  semi- 
circular bars  of  red  that  adorned  his  arm.  To  the 
general's  questions  Max  Voxetter  replied  with 
that  sententiousness  which  military  life  had 
taught  him  as  the  essence  of  conversational  ability 
when  talking  to  a  man  of  much  higher  rank  than 
his  own.  After  he  had  made  his  answers,  as  he 
stood  there,  beautiful  in  his  lithe  length  of  limb, 
General  Beauregard  whirled  about  in  his  chair 
and,  without  asking  the  boy  to  be  seated,  said : 

"  I  have  received  excellent  accounts  of  you  as 
to  courage,  intelligence  and  sagacity.  I  have 
learned  also  that  you  possess  a  certain  technical 
skill  which  may  be  useful  in  the  public  service.  I 
understand  that  you  know  something  of  navigat- 
ing a  ship.     Is  that  correct  ?  " 

"  I  can  take  an  observation,  sir,  and  I  know 
how  to  box  the  compass." 

"  Very  well.  I  am  assured  also  that  you  are  a 
young  man  disposed  upon  occasion  to  take  seri- 
ous risks  in  the  discharge  of  public  duties.  Is  that 
true?" 

"  Pardon  me  if  I  do  not  fully  understand,  Gen- 
eral," answered  the  boy. 

"  The  question  is  simple  enough,"  General 
Beauregard  answered.  "  I  asked  if  you  were  will- 
ing to  take  risks  ?  " 

19 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  And  I  answer,"  responded  the  boy,  stretching 
himself  to  his  full  five  feet  ten  of  height,  "  that  I 
am  a  soldier." 

11  I  do  not  quite  understand,"  replied  the  gen- 
eral. 

u  Just  let  me  quote  your  own  words,"  said  the 
youth.  "  Let  me  say  that  my  answer  is  simple 
enough.  You  ask  me  if  I  am  ready  to  take  risks. 
I  answer  that  I  am  a  soldier.  Surely  that  answer 
is  complete,  General.  If  not,  let  me  supplement 
it.  I  am  ready  at  any  hazard,  at  any  risk,  at  any 
time,  to  undertake  any  honorable  duty  becoming 
to  a  soldier,  which  may  be  assigned  to  me." 

The  boy  was  obviously  irritated,  and  had  his 
interlocutor  been  a  person  of  less  distinguished 
rank  than  he  was,  Max  Voxetter  would  pretty  cer- 
tainly have  used  terms  that  might  have  been  con- 
strued as  unsoldierly.  As  it  was,  he  simply 
straightened  himself  after  delivering  this  answer, 
while  General  Beauregard  smiled  in  apparent  ap- 
proval. 

"  Good !  "  exclaimed  the  general.  "  You  are 
the  young  man  we  want."  Then  turning  to  a 
memorandum,  which  had  been  placed  upon  his 
desk  in  advance,  he  consulted  it  for  a  moment  and 
said: 

"A  train  leaves  Charleston  for  Richmond  to- 
morrow morning  at  four  o'clock.     Take  it.     On 

20 


"READY" 


your  arrival  at  Richmond,  no  matter  what  hour  of 
the  night  or  day  it  may  be,  you  are  to  report  at 
once  to  the  War  Department  for  orders.  My 
clerk  here  will  provide  you  with  transportation, 
and  with  the  formal  written  orders  and  passports 
under  which  you  are  to  travel.     Good-night !  " 

The  boy  touched  his  cap,  and  with  a  muttered 
"  Good-night,"  retired  to  the  ante-room  whither 
the  clerk  followed  him  to  arrange  the  matter  of 
written  orders,  transportation,  passports  and  the 
like. 

Max  was  bewildered  beyond  measure.  He  was 
utterly  unable  to  imagine  why  he  had  been  or- 
dered to  Richmond,  or  upon  what  possible  service 
it  could  be  that  he,  instead  of  some  other  person 
nearer  at  hand,  was  wanted.  General  Beauregard 
had  of  course  given  him  a  small  hint  by  asking 
concerning  his  knowledge  of  navigation,  but  the 
hint  amounted  to  very  little,  inasmuch  as  Charles- 
ton and  every  other  Confederate  port  was  at  that 
time  closely  blockaded  by  a  fleet  of  warships. 
But  whatever  else  Max  had  learned  in  his  short 
life,  of  nineteen  years,  this  one  lesson  had  been 
borne  in  upon  hiip  as  the  alphabet  of  a  soldier's 
duty — to  obey  orders  without  asking  unnecessary 
questions  concerning  them — and  so,  as  soon  as  he 
received  his  orders,  his  passports  and  his  trans- 
portation certificates  he  betook  himself  to  the  near- 

21 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

est  commissary's  office  and  drew  the  supply  of 
cooked  rations  to  which,  under  his  orders,  he  was 
entitled.  And  the  rations  did  not  amount  to 
much  either. 


22 


CHAPTER  III 
A  Night  in  Richmond 

IT  was  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  Max 
Voxetter's  train  drew  into  Richmond — two 
hours  behind  time,  after  the  custom  of  most 
trains  in  those  days. 

It  was  a  night  of  pouring  rain,  thick  fog  and 
unutterable  mud.  Max  stood  for  a  moment  on 
the  unroofed  platform  of  the  Petersburg  railroad 
station,  hesitating.  Should  he  go  at  once  to  the 
War  Department  as  his  orders  directed  him  to  do, 
or  should  he  wait  for  daylight  and  office  hours? 
He  had  no  personal  care  for  the  rain,  the  fog  or 
the  mud  of  course.  He  was  a  soldier  too  well 
seasoned  to  mind  such  things  on  his  own  account. 
"  But  what  will  the  bomb  proof  dandies  of  the 
War  Department  think  of  me,"  he  muttered,  "  if 
I  invade  their  cosy  quarters  at  this  time  of  night 
and  sit  there  dripping  rain  water  over  their  valu- 
able rugs  while  awaiting  orders?  Won't  the  or- 
ders come  quickly,  and  won't  they  be  simply  '  get 
out  of  this,  you  drenched  denizen  of  the  night  and 
the  storm' ?" 

*3 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

Nevertheless  there  were  Max  Voxetter's  orders 
in  Max  Voxetter's  pocket,  and  they  were  peremp- 
tory enough.     They  read : 

"  You  are  to  report  at  the  War  Department  in- 
stantly on  your  arrival  in  Richmond,  without  any 
regard  whatever  to  the  time  of  the  day  or  night." 

So  Max  took  up  one  more  hole  in  his  belt — just 
to  make  up  for  the  supper  that  wasn't  under  it — 
and  set  out  in  the  rain,  the  fog  and  the  mud  that 
at  times  came  half  way  up  his  long  boot  tops. 

It  seemed  a  simple  enough  thing  to  do,  to  walk 
from  the  station  up  Shockhoe  hill  through  Eighth 
Street  to  Main  Street,  thence  one  block  east  to 
Ninth  Street  and  thence  north  half  a  block  to  the 
Mechanics'  Institute  building  where  the  War  De- 
partment of  the  Confederate  States  of  America 
had  its  quarters. 

The  distance  was  small,  but  the  way  was  beset 
with  difficulties,  as  Max  soon  discovered.  Gen- 
eral Winder,  provost  marshal,  had  laid  his  iron 
hand  upon  the  Confederate  capital.  With  an  au- 
thority as  irresponsible  as  that  of  the  Russian 
Third  Section,  which  is  answerable  to  nobody, — 
with  an  authority  which  seemed  to  take  orders 
from  nobody,  to  submit  itself  to  nobody's  con- 
trol, and  to  work  its  own  will  regardless  of  all 
else  of  military  or  civil  law, — General  Winder 
gave  his  orders  and  enforced  his  decrees.     At  the 

24 


A  NIGHT  IN  RICHMOND 

corner  of  Eighth  and  Cary  Streets,  Max  Voxetter 
encountered  this  authority  in  the  form  of  a  sen- 
tinel who  demanded  his  passports.  Max  offered 
his  orders  in  response  to  the  demand.  Happily 
the  sentry  was  unable  to  read  the  document,  not 
for  lack  of  light,  but  because  the  art  of  reading 
manuscript  had  not  been  included  in  the  list  of 
his  educational  accomplishments.  So  Max  read 
the  orders  to  the  sentry,  and  obligingly  explained 
to  him  their  very  peremptory  character.  The  man 
was  satisfied  and  Max  was  permitted  to  pass  on. 
But  worse  difficulty  was  in  store  for  him.  At 
the  corner  of  Main  Street  and  Ninth,  where 
Meade  and  Baker's  drug  store  then  stood,  he  was 
a  second  time  called  to  a  halt.  This  time  the  sen- 
try was  not  only  able  to  read,  but  was  gifted  with 
a  questioning  turn  of  mind.  He  easily  made  out 
that  somebody  in  Charleston  had  ordered  Ser- 
geant-Major Max  Voxetter  to  report  at  the  War 
Department  in  Richmond.  But  who  was  that 
somebody?  What  right  had  he  to  give  orders? 
Of  what  force  were  his  orders  in  Richmond? 
How  could  a  drenched  sentry,  in  the  small  hours 
of  the  morning,  determine  whether  or  not  the 
signatures  were  genuine?  And  how  could  he 
know  that  the  man  issuing  them  had  authority  to 
issue  them?  And  above  all  what  would  General 
Winder  say? 

*5 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

Max  Voxetter  saw  the  perplexity  of  the  man's 
mind  and  decided  to  take  a  short  road  out  of  the 
difficulty. 

"  Arrest  me  then/'  he  said.  "  Take  me  to  the 
War  Department  as  a  prisoner, — it  is  only  half  a 
block  away — and  let  the  people  there  pass  on  my 
credentials." 

"  But  I  don't  report  to  the  War  Department," 
answered  the  man.  "  I  report  only  to  the  provost 
marshal." 

"  Oh,  very  well !  "  answered  Max.  "  Take  me 
to  Castle  Thunder  then,  and  let  me  show  my  cre- 
dentials there." 

"  But  I  can't  leave  my  post,"  said  the  sentry. 
"  I  mustn't  leave  this  post  till  I'm  relieved  at  sun- 
rise. So  I'll  just  have  to  keep  you  here  till 
then." 

"  But  in  the  meantime,"  argued  Max,  "  you're 
compelling  me  to  disobey  the  orders  of  my  com- 
manding general." 

"  Well,  I  can't  help  it ;  Winder's  '  bomb  proof 
men,'  as  you  fighting  fellows  call  us,  know  only 
one  authority  on  this  earth,  and  that  is  the  pro- 
vost marshal's.  So  I've  simply  got  to  keep  you 
here  in  the  rain  till  morning." 

"  Then  call  your  corporal  of  the  guard,"  said 
Max  with  a  tone  of  command  acquired  by  long 
use  of  authority. 

26 


A  NIGHT  IN  RICHMOND 

"  That's  jest  the  trouble,"  replied  the  man. 
"  There  ain't  no  corporal  of  the  guard,  and  there 
ain't  no  sergeant  and  there  ain't  nobody  else.  We 
uns  is  jest  put  here  at  dark  to  stand  guard  till 
daylight,  and  let  nobody  pass,  no  soldier  at  least, 
an'  that's  all  they  is  about  it.  So  all  you've  gqf 
to  do  is  jest  to  stay  here  in  the  rain  till  mornin,.,, 

Max  saw  the  situation.  He  did  not  purpose  to 
accommodate  himself  to  it.  So  he  decided  in- 
stantly to  resort  to  strategy.  He  opened  an  argu- 
ment with  the  sentry — not  because  he  imagined 
the  sentry  to  be  accessible  to  any  argument,  for 
he  did  not,  but  because  he  had  other  purposes  in 
mind.  He  argued  with  no  hope  of  convincing. 
He  pleaded  and  protested  without  the  slightest 
expectation  of  changing  the  man's  obstructive  at- 
titude of  mind.  But  as  he  did  so,  Max  freely 
placed  his  hands  upon  the  sentinel's  shoulders, 
caressingly  fondled  his  arms,  and  now  and  then 
even  threw  his  own  arms  about  the  man's  neck  in 
persuasive  eloquence,  and  "  fumbled  "  the  fellow 
generally. 

Suddenly  he  stopped  all  this  fooling  and  fum- 
bling and,  in  the  tone  of  a  superior  officer,  he  said : 

"  I've  had  quite  enough  of  this  nonsense.  My 
orders  are  to  report  at  the  War  Department  at 
once.  I'm  going  to  do  so  and,  sir,  you  will  inter- 
fere at  your  peril.     I'm  going  on  my  way.  Shoot 

27 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

if  you  want  to,  but  you'll  do  so  on  your  own  re- 
sponsibility." 

With  that  the  boy  set  off  up  the  street  at  a 
rapid  gait,  but  the  sentry  did  not  fire  at  him.  He 
leveled  his  gun  indeed,  and  cocked  it,  and  took 
deliberate  aim  with  it,  and  pulled  its  trigger — but 
no  explosion  followed,  and  no  bullet  was  dis- 
charged from  its  gaping  muzzle. 

Perhaps  the  reason  was  that  Max  Voxetter  was 
at  that  moment  holding  the  sentry's  percussion 
cap  between  the  thumb  and  forefinger  of  his  left 
hand,  and  no  gun  in  that  day  ever  thought  of 
going  off  without  the  explosion  of  a  percussion 
cap  on  the  initiatory  nipple  of  it.  By  a  deft 
movement,  while  the  argument  and  the  fumbling 
had  been  going  on,  Max  Voxetter  had  possessed 
himself  of  the  percussion  cap,  removing  it  from  its 
nipple  and  making  of  it  a  harmless  personal  pos- 
session of  his  own. 

The  sentinel,  whose  Enfield  rifle  had  thus  been 
rendered  as  innocent  as  any  broomstick,  did  not 
pursue  Max.  Max  had  not  expected  that  he 
would  do  so.  For  had  not  the  man  already  told 
the  sergeant-major  that  under  his  orders  he  dare 
not  leave  his  post  long  enough  even  to  take  a 
prisoner  to  the  guard  house  ? 

It  happened,  therefore,  quite  naturally  enough, 
that  a  few  minutes  later  Sergeant-Major  Maxi- 

28 


"  He  leveled  his  gun  indeed,  and  cocked  it,  and  took  delib- 
erate AIM   WITH    IT." 


A  NIGHT  IN  RICHMOND 

milian  Voxetter  was  tugging  at  a  bell-knob  which 
had  no  other  reason  for  being  than  that  of  an- 
nouncing to  the  persons  within  the  War  Depart- 
ment the  fact  that  somebody  outside  wanted  to 
see  them. 

The  orderly  who  opened  the  door  was  so  nearly 
asleep  that  Sergeant-Major  Max  determined  to 
shock  him  into  wakefulness.  So  instead  of  an- 
nouncing himself  and  his  business,  Max  made  an 
effort  to  pass  the  man,  with  some  hustling.  The 
orderly  was  quick  enough  to  arouse  himself,  and 
acting  on  the  first  impulse  he  called  aloud :  "  Turn 
out  the  guard !  "  Instantly  a  file  of  eight  or  ten 
men  appeared,  with  their  rifles  at  full  cock. 

"  Oh,  never  mind  the  guard,"  said  Max,  quite 
as  a  major-general  might  do  in  declining  that 
attention.  "  I  am  ordered  to  report  here  at 
once.,, 

"  Go  about  your  business  then/'  answered  the 
orderly,  "and  come  here  at  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning.,, 

"  Pardon  me !  "  answered  the  sergeant-major, 
who  appreciated  the  humor  of  the  situation,  as  he 
stood  there  with  streams  of  water  trickling  from 
every  article  of  his  clothing,  and  with  now  and 
then  a  spill  from  the  brim  of  his  soft  felt  hat,  as 
he  leant  forward.  "  Pardon  me,  but  my  business 
lies  precisely  here  and  it  is  not  confined  to  office 

29 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

hours.  I'll  trouble  you  to  glance  at  that !  "  and 
he  handed  to  the  orderly  his  orders  from  General 
Beauregard. 

The  orderly  read  the  paper,  and  quickly  changed 
his  tone. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Sergeant-Major/'  he  said 
obsequiously,  "  but  I  didn't  recognize  you.  I  have 
orders  to  admit  you  at  any  hour,  and  to  wake  up 
the  officer  in  charge  whenever  you  arrive.  As 
you  have  now  arrove  " — the  orderly's  English  was 
more  regular  than  accurate — "  as  you  have  now 
arrove,  will  you  please  step  in  here  till  I  call  the 
colonel  ?  " 

With  that  Max,  drenched  and  dripping,  was 
ushered  into  a  little  private  office,  where  he  waited 
for  the  coming  of  his  high-mightiness,  the  officer 
in  charge  of  the  War  Department  for  the 
night. 

While  he  waited,  Max  fell  a-thinking.  What 
did  it  all  mean?  What  could  it  mean?  Why 
was  he,  an  obscure  boy,  the  sergeant-major  of  a 
detached  battery,  thus  selected  for  some  special 
service,  and  peremptorily  ordered  to  that  centre 
and  source  of  all  authority,  the  War  Department 
itself?  What  was  the  nature  of  the  service  ex- 
pected of  him  ?  Why  was  he  ordered  to  wake  up 
the  War  Department  at  this  wet  and  unseemly 
hour  of  the  night?     Why  did  the  War  Depart- 

3° 


A  NIGHT  IN  RICHMOND 

ment  lay  such  stress  upon  his  coming  as  to  give 
special  orders  for  his  admission  and  for  the 
waking  up  of  an  officer  to  receive  his  wetly  unwel- 
come visit  in  the  middle  of  a  very  bad  night? 

Max  was  sorely  puzzled  as  he  asked  himself  all 
these  questions,  but  as  he  could  answer  none  of 
them  he  fell  back  upon  his  soldierly  mental  habit 
of  waiting  for  orders  and  obeying  them  without 
asking  about  their  meaning. 

So,  after  wondering  somewhat  over  his  situa- 
tion and  speculating  about  the  orders  that  had 
put  him  into  it,  he  dismissed  the  entire  matter 
from  his  mind,  as  one  that  others  and  not  he  must 
deal  with,  and  he  simply  waited,  conscious  all  the 
while  that  his  rain-soaked  coat  was  ruining  the 
costly  silk  upholstery  of  the  chair  he  occupied. 

After  a  brief  while  the  colonel  entered,  half 
dressed  and  still  struggling  with  his  suspenders. 

"  Ah,  you  are  Sergeant-Major  Voxetter?"  he 
asked.  Then,  without  waiting  for  an  answer  he 
added :  "  I'm  glad  to  see  you.  We've  been  ex- 
pecting you.  Be  seated  please,"  for  Max  had 
risen  to  salute  his  superior.  "  Now  we  must  get 
to  business  at  once.  There's  no  time  to  lose.  We 
have  good  accounts  of  you.  Good  accounts.  Ex- 
cellent accounts..  And  Gen.  Beauregard  recom- 
mends you  unreservedly  on  the  strength  of  the 
reports  he  has  received.     Very  well.     You're  the 

31 

a         PEORJA 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

SEP    2        o4 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

man  we  want.  Can  we  get  you  ?  Are  you  ready 
to  undertake  a  difficult — perhaps  a  very  dangerous 
— service  ?  " 

"lama  soldier/'  answered  Max,  as  he  had  an- 
swered Gen.  Beauregard. 

"  You  mean  by  that—?  " 

"  I  mean  by  that  that  I  am  ready  to  undertake 
any  honorable  service  that  may  be  assigned  to 
me.  As  for  the  risks — well,  they  are  a  soldier's 
portion,  like  short  rations,  or  guard  duty,  or  sand 
in  his  shoes,  or  pickled  mule  for  corned  beef." 

The  colonel  seemed  pleased  with  the  answer. 
He  paced  the  floor  for  a  time,  and  then  resumed : 

"You're  a  sailor?" 

"  Hardly  that,"  Max  answered.  "  But  I'm  the 
son  of  a  sea  captain  and  I  know  how  to  sail  a 
ship." 

"  That's  what  I  mean.  Your  father  is  Captain 
Voxetter  of  Charleston — " 

"  His  present  address  is  Fort  Warren  in  Boston 
harbor,  I  believe,"  answered  Max. 

"  Oh,  yes,  of  course.  He  was  captured  by  the 
enemy.  We'll  arrange  for  his  exchange.  You 
went  often  to  sea  with  him  ?  " 

"  I  was  born  at  sea,"  answered  the  boy,  "  on 
board  my  father's  ship  in  the  Straits  of  Torres, 
and  he  brought  me  up  on  shipboard,  and  taught 
me  himself  till  I  was  old  enough  to  enter  college. 

3* 


A  NIGHT  IN  RICHMOND 

Then  he  sent  me  here  to  Virginia  where  I  had 
been  in  school  less  than  a  year  when  we  boys  all 
enlisted  and  went  to  the  front,  and  were  taken 
prisoners  at  Rich  Mountain.  We  were  paroled, 
and  I  went  back  to  Charleston  and  while  waiting 
for  my  exchange  I  made  a  voyage  with  my  fa- 
ther." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  colonel  with  less  of  excitement 
than  he  had  shown  before.  "  You  were  with  him 
when  he  took  an  old  river  steamboat  to  the  Baha- 
mas, and  sailed  back  through  the  bombarding 
blockade  fleet,  with  three  hundred  tons  of  gun- 
powder in  the  big  box  of  a  steamboat  that  he  had 
under  him.  Good!  I  say.  Excellent.  You're 
the  man  we  want.  But  let's  get  down  to  business. 
You  know  how  to  sail  a  ship?  n 

"  A  little.  I  can  shoot  the  horizon  and  work 
out  a  ship's  position." 

"And  you  know  the  South  Carolina  coast 
pretty  well?" 

"  Yes,  pretty  well.  I  may  even  say  very  well, 
without  boasting,  I  think." 

"  Good  again !  Now  do  you  know  any  way  by 
which  you  could  make  your  way  from  Charleston 
to  Nassau  without  being  discovered?  " 

As  the  colonel  asked  this  crucial  question  he 
arose  and  eagerly  stood  over  the  boy  to  await  his 
answer. 

33 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  There's  the  Minho,"  answered  Max.  "  She 
runs  the  blockade  with  almost  packet-like  regu- 
larity." 

A  gesture  of  impatience  preceded  the  colonel's 
answer.     At  last  he  said : 

"  We  don't  trust  the  officers  of  the  Minho  or 
the  other  blockade  runners.  They  are  English- 
men. They  are  in  business  only  for  money.  In 
the  matter  I'm  going  to  employ  you  in,  there 
might  be  more  money  for  them  in  getting  caught 
than  in  getting  through.  Can't  you  think  of  some 
other  way?  " 

"  Easily,"  answered  Max.  "  I  could  fit  out  a 
little  sloop  at  Charleston — one  of  the  shallow  draught 
kind  that  trade  up  and  down  the  inland  coast 
waters.  I  could  load  her  with  ten  or  a  dozen  bales 
of  cotton,  and  as  I  know  all  the  small  creeks,  I 
could  work  her  out  to  sea  some  dark  night, 
through  Folly  River  or  some  other  of  the  little 
sloughs  that  are  dry  at  low  water  but  carry  a 
few  feet  of  water  at  high  tide.  The  block- 
ading fleet  simply  cannot  be  watching  all  these 
little  passageways,  for  there  are  hundreds  of  them 
on  that  coast.  I've  often  thought  that  if  I  weren't 
a  soldier,  I'd  go  into  that  sort  of  blockade  running. 
One  of  those  sloops  will  carry  ten  or  twelve  bales 
of  cotton  that  costs  next  to  nothing  in  Charleston, 
but  is  worth  its  weight  in  quinine  in  Nassau." 

34 


A  NIGHT  IN  RICHMOND 

"Good!"  eagerly  interrupted  the  colonel. 
"  Never  mind  the  details.  I'll  leave  all  that  to 
you.  I  don't  know  a  bowsprit  from  a  marlin 
spike  and  I've  no  need  to.  You  know  how  to  get 
some  sort  of  tub  from  Charleston  to  Nassau, 
so—" 

"  That  is  if  the  tub  doesn't  sink  under  me  in  the 
Gulf  Stream—" 

"  Are  there  risks  of  that  sort?  " 

"  Of  course.  Those  little  sloops  are  built  for 
use  on  inland  waters  exclusively,  and  not  at  all 
for  the  gales  that  blow  in  the  Gulf  Stream,  still 
less  for  the  hurricanes  that  in  the  autumn  often 
blow  up  from  the  West  Indies.  Still  I  think  I 
can  take  a  craft  of  that  kind  from  Charleston  to 
Nassau  in  safety,  after  I  once  get  her  to  sea ;  and 
I'm  willing  anyhow  to  take  all  the  risks." 

"  Good !  good !  good !  "  exclaimed  the  colonel. 
"  Now  what  do  you  want?  " 

"What  do  I  want?  I  don't  understand 
you — " 

"  Oh,  I  mean  what  orders,  what  arrangements, 
what  men,  what  provisions,  what  supplies  and 
what  everything  else  ?  Suppose  you  don't  answer 
now.  Go  to  your  breakfast.  I've  ordered  it  at 
Zetelle's,  and  I'll  send  a  guard  to  see  you  past 
Winder's  pickets.  I'll  join  you  there  in  just 
twenty  minutes — and  meantime  you  can  make  up 

35 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

your  mind  as  to  what  you  will  need.     You  are  to 
take  the  seven  o'clock  train  for  Charleston/' 

So  under  charge  of  a  guard,  Max  took  his  de- 
parture 


3« 


CHAPTER  IV 
The  Bale  Marked  "  Circle  X" 

WHILE  Max  ate  his  breakfast  he  thought 
out  the  situation  to  the  best  of  his 
ability,  jotting  down  a  memorandum 
now  and  then.  When  the  little  colonel  bustled  in, 
his  hands  full  of  papers  and  a  clerk  following  him, 
whom  he  bade  remain  in  the  outer  room  until 
summoned,  Max  was  ready  for  him. 

"  First  of  all,  Colonel/'  he  said,  "  will  you  kindly 
tell  me  just  what  it  is  that  you  want  me  to  do  ?  H 

The  excited  little  colonel  seemed  utterly  dumb- 
founded by  the  question,  and  Max  seeing  his  per- 
turbation promptly  came  to  his  relief  with  an  ex- 
planation. 

"  I  don't  ask  to  know  secrets,"  he  said.  "  I 
only  ask  you  to  tell  me  in  your  own  way  what  it  is 
that  you  want  me  to  do.  When  I  know  that,  I 
shall  be  able  to  tell  you  what  I  shall  need  for  the 
doing  of  it." 

"  Oh,  yes,  certainly !  "  said  the  colonel.  "  I 
hadn't  thought  of  that.  But  of  course  it's  neces- 
sary— very  necessary !    Well,  what  I  want  is  that 

37 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

you  shall  go  to  Nassau  without  going  by  any  of 
the  regular  blockade  runners.  I  want  you  to  go 
secretly,  silently — you  understand — and — " 

"  Oh,  I  understand  that,"  answered  Max  look- 
ing at  his  watch  to  remind  the  colonel  of  the  brev- 
ity of  the  time  at  disposal.  "  And  I  have  already 
thought  out  my  plans.  I'll  take  a  little  sloop,  load 
her  with  cotton — ten  or  a  dozen  bales — sneak  her 
out  through  one  of  the  tide  water  channels  and 
take  her  to  port  or  to  Davy  Jones  as  the  case  may 
be." 

"  But  it  must  be  port  and  not  Davy  Jones," 
quickly  answered  the  colonel.  "  I'm  going  to 
furnish  one  of  your  bales  of  cotton,  and  you  sim- 
ply must  deliver  it." 

"  I'll  deliver  it,  Colonel,"  answered  the  boy, 
"  unless  it  and  I  go  down  together." 

"  Good !  Now  I  have  arranged  all  that.  The 
quartermaster  at  Charleston  is  to  arrange  with 
Fraser,  Trenholm  &  Co.  to  furnish  you  with  as 
many  bales  of  cotton  as  you  call  for.  One  of 
them  the  quartermaster  will  furnish  himself.  It 
will  be  marked  '  Circle  X,'  this  way  ®  " — he 
illustrated  on  paper.  "  To  deliver  that  bale  of 
cotton  is  what  you  go  for.  Nothing  else  matters 
but  that  bale  must  either  be  delivered  in  safety  to 
the  agent  to  whom  it  is  consigned,  or  it  must  be 
destroyed." 

38 


THE  BALE  MARKED  "  CIRCLE  X" 

Here  the  colonel  arose,  opened  the  door  and 
looked  into  the  ante-room.  Having  satisfied  him- 
self that  nobody  was  eavesdropping  he  returned  to 
the  table,  threw  a  coffee  cup  at  a  waiter  who  in- 
truded his  head  through  another  door,  and  re- 
sumed, in  a  tone  scarcely  above  a  whisper. 

"  The  bale  marked  '  Circle  X  '  will  contain 
documents.  It  will  also  contain  fifty-one  pounds  " 
— the  colonel  seemed  never  to  deal  in  round  num- 
bers— "  of  the  very  best  Dupont's  rifle  powder. 
From  its  surface,  and  leading  into  it,  there  will  be 
a  port-fire.  You  know  about  port-fires,  don't 
you?" 

"  Of  course/'  answered  the  boy.  "  I  am  an 
artilleryman." 

"  Well,  then,  you  know  you  can't  light  a  port- 
fire in  any  ordinary  way,  but  that  it  catches  in- 
stantly from  burning  gunpowder.  You  know  too 
that  it  burns  under  water  as  freely  as  in  the  open 
air?" 

"  Yes,  Colonel,"  said  the  boy  again  con- 
sulting his  watch,  "  I  know  all  about  port-fires,  I 
think." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  answered  the  colonel. 
"  There'll  be  a  port-fire  communicating  with  the 
fifty-one  pounds  of  rifle  powder  in  the  centre  of 
the  bale  marked  '  Circle  X.'  You  are  to  deliver 
that  bale  of  cotton  if  you  can.     If  you  can't  you 

39 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

are  to  set  off  the  port-fire  and  blow  the  thing  to 
smithereens.    My  dear  boy,  it  will  mean — " 

"  Oh,  I  know  all  that,"  interrupted  Max. 
"  Never  mind  that,  Colonel.  It's  a  chance  of  the 
game.  It  won't  be  any  worse  than  if  a  shell 
should  explode  in  the  convolutions  of  my  trans- 
verse colon,  and  of  course  one  takes  the  chance  of 
that  happening  every  time  he  faces  artillery  fire. 
I'll  deliver  the  bale  marked  '  Circle  X  '  or  Til  blow 
it  into  smithereens,  as  you  say,  no  matter  what  the 
personal  consequences  may  happen  to  be  to  me  or 
to  anybody  else.  So  please  consider  that  matter 
settled." 

As  he  ended  this  speech  Max  again  uneasily 
consulted  his  watch. 

The  colonel  paused.  He  arose  from  his  chair, 
leant  over  the  table,  and  looked  at  the  boy  in- 
tently as  if  trying  to  read  his  inmost  soul  in  his 
eyes  or  his  countenance.  After  a  moment  or  two 
he  said : 

"  Well,  you  are  a  good  sort!  I  wish  I  could 
command  a  brigade  of  just  such  fellows !  " 

"  Thank  you,  Colonel,  I'd  like  to  serve  under 
your  command  in  that  brigade." 

"  I  believe  you  would,  my  boy.  Very  well. 
Now  to  business.  We've  only  thirty-seven  min- 
utes left — thirty-seven  and  a  quarter.  What  will 
you  need  for  this  expedition?  " 

40 


THE  BALE  MARKED  "  CIRCLE  X" 

"  A  ship,  first  of  all." 

"The  quartermaster  will  have  orders  to  buy 
and  pay  for  the  one  you  select.  Go  on,  what 
else?" 

"  The  cotton  for  cargo — but  I'd  rather  get  that 
myself." 

H  Very  well.  I  leave  that  to  you.  Now  what 
else?"  ' 

"  Charts,  a  sextant,  a  chronometer  and  a 
crew,"  answered  the  lad  with  special  emphasis 
on  the  last  word. 

"  Charts,  a  sextant  and  a  chronometer  will  be 
provided  for  in  your  orders,"  answered  the  col- 
onel. "As  for  a  crew — well,  you'd  best  select 
that  for  yourself." 

"  That  is  just  the  trouble,  Colonel,"  said  Max, 
rising  in  his  earnestness.  "  If  you'll  put  yourself 
in  my  place  you'll  understand.  I  am  willing  to 
undertake  this  enterprise.  I  am  willing  to  take 
every  risk  that  is  involved  in  it,  except  one." 

"  What  is  the  one  exceptional  risk  that  you 
hesitate  to  take?"  asked  the  colonel  with  much 
of  concern  in  his  voice. 

"  The  risk  of  failure,"  answered  the  boy. 
"  You  see,  Colonel,  if  I  have  to  go  down  in  the 
Gulf  Stream,  or  if  a  blockading  ship  knocks  the 
life  out  of  me  in  my  effort  to  get  out  to  sea,  or 
even  if  I  have  to  blow  up  the  whole  outfit,  includ- 

41 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

ing  myself,  as  a  last  desperate  resort — in  any  such 
case  as  these  I  shall  need  to  have  with  me  some 
men  whom  I  know  and  can  trust.  I  don't  want 
to  fail.  I  don't  want  any  flinching  or  hesitation, 
or  defect  of  courage  at  the  critical  moment.  I 
don't  want  any  cowards  to  deal  with.  So  I  don't 
want  anybody  on  board  the  sloop  except  men 
whom  I  can  absolutely  trust  to  stand  by  me  to  the 
end  and  to  help  me  execute  my  orders  even  when 
their  execution  means  death  to  all  of  us.  I  want 
men  who  can  swim,  because  swimming  may  come 
in  as  a  factor  of  success.  I  want  men  who  are 
brave  and  loyal  and  true  to  their  toe  nails,  so  that 
I  can  trust  them  to  stand  by  me  so  long  as  there's 
a  chance  of  accomplishing  our  purpose,  and  men 
who  won't  flinch  if  at  the  last  moment  I  have  to 
blow  them  into  sausage  meat.  My  father  used  to 
say  that  he  had  rather  go  to  sea  in  an  eggshell,  if 
he  knew  he  had  men  that  would  stand  by  him, 
than  go  in  the  best  ship  ever  built,  with  a  crew 
whose  courage  he  doubted.  Now  it  is  in  that 
spirit  that  I  accept  your  offer  to  let  me  select  my 
own  crew." 

The  colonel  looked  at  him  a  moment,  with  in- 
tensity of  gaze,  and  then  said : 

"  Well,  certainly  you  are  the  right  sort."  Then 
after  a  pause  he  added : 

"  My  boy,  you  have  no  idea  how  much  this  ex- 

42 


THE  BALE  MARKED  "  CIRCLE  Xn 

pedition  means.  You  will  never  know,  so  long 
as  you  live,  how  important  it  is  that  the  bale 
marked  '  Circle  X  '  shall  be  delivered  in  safety 
at  Nassau.  Certainly  you  will  never  know  or  im- 
agine how  important  a  thing  it  is  that,  if  you  find 
it  impossible  to  deliver  that  bale  of  cotton  at  its 
destination,  you  shall  blow  it  into  unrecognizable 
fragments.  So!  So!  So!  Don't  interrupt  me 
with  any  protests,  please,  for  I  believe  now, — nay 
I  know, — that  you  are  the  very  best  person  that 
could  have  been  selected  for  this  mission.  Let  all 
that  go  as  a  thing  settled.  Now,  our  time  is  so 
short,  let's  go  on  with  other  things.  You  shall 
have  whatever  assistance  you  want  in  your  en- 
deavor to  carry  out  this  delicate  and  difficult  pur- 
pose of  the  War  Department.  Do  you  personally 
know  the  men  you  want  to  take  with  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  perfectly.     They  are — " 

"  Well,  never  mind  their  names  now,"  inter- 
rupted the  colonel.  "  Are  they  men  in  the  serv- 
ice?" 

"  Yes ;  men  in  my  own  battery." 

"  Good !  "  Then  calling  in  the  clerk,  from  the 
ante-room,  he  said : 

"  Take  down  a  special  order  quickly,"  looking 
at  his  watch. 

"  Special  order  Number  18.  It  is  hereby  or- 
dered that  Sergeant-Major  Maximilian  Voxetter 

43 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

be  detailed  upon  special  service  until  further  or- 
ders from  this  department.  It  is  ordered  that 
Sergeant-Major  Maximilian  Voxetter  shall  be 
permitted  to  select  from  among  the  enlisted  men 
now  engaged  in  the  military  or  naval  service  of 
the  Confederate  States  such  assistants,  not  ex- 
ceeding five  in  number,  as  he  may  require  for  the 
accomplishment  of  the  duties  confidentially  as- 
signed to  him  by  this  department.  It  is  further 
ordered  that  every  enlisted  man  who  may  be  called 
for  under  this  order,  shall  be  immediately  de- 
tailed to  such  service  by  his  company  and  regi- 
mental officers,  and  ordered  to  report  without 
delay  to  Sergeant-Major  Voxetter  at  such  time 
and  place  as  he  may  designate. 

"  Still  further  it  is  ordered  that  every  enlisted 
man  detailed  under  this  order  shall  be  carried  on 
the  muster  and  pay  rolls  of  his  company,  as  a 
soldier  detached  for  special  service  until  further 
orders." 

"  There,"  said  the  colonel.  "  Take  Sergeant- 
Major  Voxetter's  Charleston  address  and  see  to 
it  that  seven  copies  of  that  order  are  sent  to  him 
by  the  very  next  train  out  of  Richmond.  Now, 
Sergeant-Major,  good-bye  and  good  luck  to  you ! 
You  have  just  seven  minutes  in  which  to  catch 
your  train. " 

"What  about  Winder  passports?"  asked  the 

44 


THE  BALE  MARKED  "  CIRCLE  X  " 

boy.  "  Will  the  provost  guards  let  me  leave  on 
th<£  train  ?" 

l$'ll  see  to  that/'  answered  the  colonel.  "  Here, 
orderly.  Send  twelve  men  with  Sergeant-Ma j or 
Voxetter.  See  that  he  is  not  interfered  with.  Use 
force  if  needed.  He  is  leaving  for  Charleston 
under  special  orders  of  the  War  Department. 
The  sergeant  in  charge  of  the  squad  is  to  per- 
mit nobody  to  interfere  with  him  or  to  delay  him, 
on  pain  of  death.  Send  two  men  and  a  corporal 
with  him  on  the  train  as  far  as  Weldon.  After 
that  there'll  be  no  trouble.  Good-bye,  Sergeant- 
Major  !  You've  just  three  and  three-quarter  min- 
utes. God  speed  you!  The  chances  are  nine  in 
ten  that  you'll  never  get  your  ship  out  of  harbor — 
and  if  you  do,  they  are  nine  in  ten  that  you'll  have 
to  blow  up  that  bale  of  cotton  and  your  crew  and 
yourself.  Still  I  hope  the  best  for  you.  Good- 
bye! Do  the  bejst  you  can  and  the  next  time  I 
see  you  you'll  be  a  major  without  sergeant  as  a 
prefix." 

The  minutes  were  now  at  a  minimum.  So  at 
last  the  colonel  let  the  boy  go,  under  orders  that 
doomed  him  to  a  service  so  perilous  that  the  little 
colonel  did  not  really  expect  ever  to  see  the  splen- 
didly gallant  young  fellow  again.  But  as  a  great 
military  writer  has  said :  "  War  is  a  hazard  of  pos- 
sibilities, probabilities,  luck  and  ill  luck."  And  Ser- 

45 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

geant-Major  Max  Voxetter  was  ready  to  accept 
all  those  hazards.  He  was  so,  chiefly  because  he 
had  quite  well  learned  that  possibilities  are  con- 
vertible into  probabilities,  and  ill  luck  into  good 
luck  by  the  timely  use  of  brains,  care,  and  a  rea- 
sonable sagacity  in  emergent  circumstances.  He 
was  ready  to  blow  up  that  bale  and  himself  with 
it,  if  it  should  become  really  necessary  to  do  so. 
But  he  had  not  the  smallest  intention  to  let  any 
such  necessity  arise,  if,  by  any  foresight  or  sagac- 
ity of  his  own,  he  could  prevent  it. 

On  his  arrival  at  Charleston  his  first  care  was 
to  write  to  the  two  whom  he  had  selected  to  be  his 
comrades  in  this  enterprise — Billy  Boker  and  Ti- 
berius Gracchus  Smith.  He  told  them  only  so 
much  as  was  necessary — that  he  was  charged  with 
an  enterprise  involving  difficulty  and  perhaps 
great  danger;  that  he  wanted  them  to  go  with 
him  if  they  were  ready  to  do  so  as  volunteers, 
willing  to  take  their  lives  in  their  hands  for  the 
occasion ;  that  he  had  authority  to  detail  them  as 
his  assistants,  if  they  desired,  and  that  he  would 
do  so  on  receipt  of  their  assent  to  the  plan.  He 
selected  these  two  for  several  reasons.  They  were 
devotedly  loyal  friends  of  his  own.  Their  cour- 
age was  beyond  dispute.  They  were  quick-witted 
fellows,  such  as  he  especially  needed  in  such  an 
enterprise,  and  finally  he  had  been  for  months  past 

46 


THE  BALE  MARKED  "CIRCLE  X" 

carefully  instructing  them  in  the  art  of  sailing  a 
boat. 

Their  response  was  instant  and  enthusiastic. 
"  We'll  go  with  you  anywhere/'  they  telegraphed, 
and  a  week  later  he  sent  them  orders  to  join  him  at 
Charleston. 

In  the  meanwhile  Max  was  busily  at  work  find- 
ing a  suitable  ship,  putting  her  into  condition, 
and  making  other  needful  arrangements. 


47 


CHAPTER  V 
The  Young  Shipmaster 

WHEN  early  in  October  the  two  young 
men  arrived  at  Charleston  they  found 
Max's  camp  on  Gadsden's  Green  aban- 
doned to  a  quartermaster's  guard.  After  much 
inquiry  and  some  search  they  found  Max  himself 
bivouacking  on  a  pier  on  the  Cooper  River  side  of 
the  town.  He  was  manifestly  in  ill  temper — a 
very  unusual  thing  with  him. 

A  clumsy  sloop  lay  alongside  the  pier — a  sloop 
of  the  kind  that  plies  about  in  the  harbor,  the  rivers 
and  the  inlets  of  that  water-laced  coast,  carrying 
wood,  or  cotton  or  supplies  between  the  planta- 
tions and  the  city.  She  was  about  thirty-five  or 
thirty-eight  feet  long,  rather  broad  in  the  beam 
and  of  very  light  draught.  She  had  been  built  to 
ply  in  shallow  waters  and  to  carry  her  load  on  the 
deck.  But  Max  had  altered  her  considerably  as 
we  shall  presently  see. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  your  temper,  Max?  " 
was  Billy  Boker's  first  question. 

"  Quartermasters,"  answered  the  youth  with  a 

48 


THE  TOUNG  SHIPMASTER 

snap.  "  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it  presently.  Mean- 
time go  there  and  put  some  fenders  between  the 
sloop  and  the  dock.  There's  a  little  sea  on  and 
the  sloop  is  chafing  a  bit.  So  am  I.  But  by  the 
time  you  do  that  Til  be  ready  to  tell  you  all  about 
things." 

The  young  men  did  his  bidding  and  then  came 
back  to  him. 

"  Let's  begin  at  the  beginning,"  he  said  in  an- 
swer to  the  questions  they  wanted  to  ask,  but  did 
not.  "  You  see  we  are  going  to  run  the  blockade 
in  that  sloop — " 

"In  that  old  tub?"  interrupted  Tibe  Smith. 
"  Why  she—" 

"  You're  not  going  to  fail  me,  are  you?  "  snap- 
pishly asked  Max. 

"  Fail  you  ?  Certainly  not.  I  was  only  going 
to  say — " 

"  Well,  never  mind  that,"  broke  in  Max,  satis- 
fied that  neither  fear  nor  "  flunking  "  was  in  the 
minds  of  his  companions.  "  We're  going  to  run 
the  blockade  in  that  old  tub,  and  the  quartermaster 
has  bothered  me  from  the  first.  You  see  he 
hasn't  been  taken  into  anybody's  confidence,  and 
he  wants  to  be.  His  curiosity  is  aroused.  He 
doesn*t  know  where  we're  going  or  why,  and  he 
wants  to  know,  and  I  won't  tell  him.  So  at  every 
step  he  has  bothered  me.     When  I  bought  the  ship 

49 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

— after  searching  the  harbor  and  all  the  rivers  to 
find  one  fit  for  our  purpose,  he  objected  to  the 
price  and  wanted  me  to  take  a  wretched  old  scow 
instead.  The  War  Department  settled  that.  Then 
I  wanted  alterations  made  so  that  I  could  stow  a 
cargo  of  cotton  below  the  decks,  for  ballast. 
Again  he  objected  and  wanted  to  know  why  I 
couldn't  carry  my  load  on  deck  as  had  always  been 
done  on  this  boat.  I  couldn't  explain  without 
telling  him  where  we  were  going,  so  I  couldn't  ex- 
plain at  all.  But  you  see  while  the  old  tub  might 
carry  her  cargo  on  deck  in  her  voyages  around 
this  quiet  harbor,  she  could  never  cross  the  Gulf 
Stream  loaded  in  that  fashion.  So  I  insisted  on 
having  the  deck  raised  a  trifle — enough  to  admit 
baled  cotton  below.  He  refused.  I  appealed  to 
the  War  Department  and  got  peremptory  orders 
sent  to  him  to  fulfil  my  requisitions.  Little  by  lit- 
tle, by  a  fight  at  every  turn,  I  have  managed  to 
get  the  craft  ready.  I've  got  a  dozen  bales  of 
cotton  squeezed  in  there  between  the  deck  and  the 
keelson.  I've  got  three  tons  of  iron  strapping 
bolted  to  the  boat's  keel  for  additional  ballast — 
my,  how  he  did  fight  against  that! — I've  got  a 
little  bunking  space  built  in  at  the  companion  way 
for  us  to  sleep  in  and  I've  got  my  cargo  aboard — 
all  except  the  bale  marked  Circle  X.  That's  what 
we  are  fighting  about  now.     I've  telegraphed  the 

5° 


THE  TOUNG  SHIPMASTER 

War  Department.  Hish — don't  say  a  word. 
Here  comes  the  quartermaster's  sergeant" 

A  moment  later  the  sergeant  saluted  and  said : 

"  The  quartermaster  bids  me  say  that  under 
orders  just  received  from  the  War  Department  he 
withdraws  his  objection  to  your  loading  plans, 
which  he  still  thinks  foolish  in  the  extreme.  The 
bale  marked  Circle  X  will  be  delivered  to  you 
within  an  hour,  and  the  quartermaster  bids  me 
say  that  you  are  free  to  dispose  of  it  as  you  please, 
he  not  being  responsible  for  any  consequences." 

"  You  did  that  extremely  well,  Sergeant,"  said 
Max,  now  rippling  all  over  with  smiles.  "  If  I 
ever  get  a  chance  Til  recommend  you  for  promo- 
tion for  your  extraordinary  faithfulness  in  deliv- 
ering a  message.  In  the  meantime  will  you  please 
give  me  my  copy  of  the  War  Department's  or- 
ders?    Of  course  you  have  it  in  your  pocket." 

The  sergeant  hesitated — he  was  very  loyal  to 
his  chief — but  he  knew  his  duty,  and  after  a  mo- 
ment he  drew  a  paper  from  his  pocket  and  deliv- 
ered it  to  the  sergeant-major.  It  was  dated  at 
the  War  Department  and  signed  by  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral Cooper  himself.  It  was,  therefore,  a  direct 
and  peremptory  order  from  the  President,  as  Com- 
mander in  Chief.  It  was  addressed  to  the  quarter- 
master at  Charleston  through  Gen.  Beauregard's 
headquarters,  and  read  as  follows : 

5« 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  The  orders  already  given  by  this  department 
concerning  Sergeant-Major  Maximilian  Vox- 
etter's  expedition  have  been  peremptory  and  ex- 
plicit. Your  persistence  in  questioning  them  will 
be  no  longer  tolerated  with  patience.  You  are 
hereby  again  and  finally  directed  to  honor  what- 
ever requisitions  Sergeant-Major  Maximilian 
Voxetter  may  make  upon  you  for  material  sup- 
plies, and  you  are  expressly  forbidden  to  interfere 
in  any  way  with  the  arrangements  which  the  con- 
fidence of  the  War  Department  in  his  skill  and 
discretion  has  authorized  him  to  make.  You  will 
deliver  a  perfect  copy  of  these  orders  to  Sergeant- 
Major  Maximilian  Voxetter,  and  henceforth  ab- 
stain from  all  efforts  to  interfere  with  him,  bear- 
ing in  mind  the  fact  that  he  is  acting  under  the 
direct  instructions  and  authority  of  this  Depart- 
ment and  with  its  unreserved  confidence." 

"  Now  what  is  '  the  bale  marked  Circle  X/  if 
you  don't  mind  telling  us?  "  asked  Tibe  Smith,  his 
face  all  aglow  with  eagerness.  "  On  that  there 
hangs  a  tale,  I'll  be  bound." 

"  Well,"  answered  Max,  choosing  his  words 
carefully,  "  the  bale  marked  Circle  X,  as  nearly  as 
I  can  make  out  the  matter,  is  a  combined  mail  bag 
or  despatch  box  and  torpedo.  It  is  a  bale  of  cot- 
ton, loaded,  as  to  its  inside,  with  some  papers  and 
fifty-one  pounds  of  rifle  powder.  What  the  papers 

52 


THE  TOUNG  SHIPMASTER 

are,  I  don't  know,  nor  what  their  purpose  is.  But 
the  fifty-one  pounds  of  rifle  powder  is  intended  to 
blow  us  three  fellows  into  kingdom  come,  as  an 
incident  to  the  destruction  of  the  papers.  The 
purpose  of  our  expedition  is  to  deliver  that  bale  of 
cotton  to  the  Confederate  Agent  at  Nassau.  If 
we  find  that  we  can't  do  that  we  are  charged  with 
the  simple  and  unimportant  duty  of  blowing  the 
thing  up — we  fellows  being  included,  of  course,  in 
the  destructive  effects  of  the  explosion,  unless  we 
are  fortunately  able  to  take  ourselves  out  of  the 
way  after  firing  the  torpedo  and  before  it  goes 

off." 

"  But  how  are  we  to  fire  it?  "  asked  Billy. 

"  There's  a  port-fire,  eight  or  nine  inches  long/' 
answered  Max,  "  reaching  from  the  outer  surface 
of  the  bale  to  the  charge  of  gunpowder  within. 
All  we've  got  to  do  is  to  fire  a  pistol  held  close  to 
the  end  of  the  port-fire,  and  then  make  a  run  for 
whatever  chance  of  escape  there  may  be.  If  it 
comes  to  that  you  fellows  may  possibly  get  away 
anyhow,  for  it  takes  only  one  man  to  fire  a  pistol, 
and  I'll  be  that  man,  of  course,  after  giving  you  all 
the  time  I  can  for  retreat." 

"  Well,  I  reckon  we'll  argue  that  a  little/'  said 
Tibe  Smith.     "  Billy  and  I  will  insist—" 

"  You  will  insist  upon  nothing,"  broke  in  Max. 
"  From  the  hour  that  we  cast  loose  from  this  dock 

53 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

there  is  going  to  be  the  most  absolute  military  dis^ 
cipline  on  board  ship.  Whatever  orders  I  give, 
you  fellows  are  to  obey,  just  as  you  would  in  a 
battle.  There  will  be  the  old  comradeship  be- 
tween us  until  danger  comes;  then  there  will  be 
peremptory  orders  and  instant  obedience.  I  tell 
you,  boys,  there  is  no  other  way  in  which  to  make 
a  success  of  such  an  expedition  as  this,  and  unless 
you  are  prepared  for  the  very  rigidest  possible  mil- 
itary discipline,  I'll  order  you  back  to  your  fishing 
and  send  for  Wright  Burch  and  Bole  Samuels  at 
once.  I  can  use  a  club  to  enforce  discipline  on 
them.,, 

The  two  young  fellows  saw  instantly  how  deep- 
ly in  earnest  their  comrade  and  commander  was, 
and  they  saw  too  how  necessary  it  was  that  things 
should  be  as  he  proposed.  They  instantly  pledged 
him  their  obedience,  only  begging  him  that  he 
would  take  upon  himself  no  imminently  dangerous 
duty  to  which  he  might  as  well  detail  one  or  the 
other  of  them. 

"  You  see,  Max,"  said  Tibe,  "  when  this  thing 
is  all  over,  somebody  must  make  a  report  on  it, 
and  you,  as  commander  of  the  expedition,  are  the 
right  one  to  do  that.     Besides — " 

"  Besides  nothing,"  interrupted  Max.  "  I  alone 
have  this  matter  in  charge.  Under  orders  of  the 
War  Department  I  have  undertaken  to  deliver 

54 


THE  TOUNG  SHIPMASTER 

that  bale  marked  Circle  X  or  to  blow  it  into  unrec- 
ognizable lint.  I  have  pledged  myself  to  do  one 
or  the  other  of  these  two  things.  Being  permitted 
to  choose  my  own  assistants  in  the  enterprise,  I 
have  asked  you  two — my  best  friends  in  the  world, 
— to  go  with  me,  and  you  are  going.  I  shall  have 
to  expose  you  to  very  serious  risks  in  any  case. 
But  when  the  supreme  danger  comes  with  the  su- 
preme duty — if  they  ever  come — I  shall  take  that 
duty  and  danger  as  my  own  portion  and  if  I  see 
any  way  to  save  you  fellows,  or  even  to  give  you  a 
chance,  I  am  going  to  do  it." 

Tibe  and  Billy,  moved  by  a  simultaneous  im- 
pulse, simply  grasped  their  young  commander's 
hand  and  pressed  it  warmly.  Not  another  word 
was  said  between  them  for  a  while  but  they  fully 
understood  each  other. 

After  a  little,  Max  said :  "  There's  a  box  filled 
with  earth  out  there  on  the  head  of  the  pier,  boys. 
It's  made  to  build  a  fire  on.  I  wish  you  two  would 
get  us  some  supper.  I'm  utterly  worn  out  with 
quartermasters  and  loss  of  sleep.  If  you  don't 
mind,  you'll  find  some  stores  under  the  tarpaulin 
there,  and  there's  a  pile  of  lightwood  at  the  other 
end  of  the  pier.  I  want  to  sleep  a  little  while. 
When  the  bale  marked  Circle  X  comes,  receipt  for 
it  and  stow  it — never  rnind.  I'll  attend  to  that 
when  I  wake.     Just  receipt  for  it  and  get  supper. 

ss 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

But  don't  fail  to  wake  me  at  seven  o'clock — or 
make  it  half  past  seven  please.  I  simply  must 
have  some  sleep." 

The  boys  saw  in  an  instant  what  Max's  condi- 
tion of  exhaustion  was.  He  had  in  fact  slept 
scarcely  at  all  for  a  week  past,  and  as  very  wakeful 
duty  was  obviously  just  ahead,  they  quietly 
agreed  between  themselves  to  find  such  difficulties 
in  the  preparation  of  that  simple  supper  as  not  to 
have  it  ready  before  eight  o'clock.  In  the  mean- 
time Max,  stretched  at  his  full  length  upon  the 
bare  boards  of  the  pier,  and  looking  the  very  pic- 
ture of  a  young  Greek  athlete,  fell  into  a  profound 
slumber. 

But  the  little  plot  to  let  Max  sleep  till  eight 
o'clock  was  doomed  to  failure.  It  was  only  about 
half  past  six  when  the  bale  marked  Circle  X  ar- 
rived at  the  pier  in  charge  of  a  sergeant.  That 
personage  peremptorily — and  very  properly — re- 
fused to  deliver  it  to  anybody  but  Sergeant-Major 
Max  Voxetter,  upon  whose  signature  alone,  he 
said,  he  was  authorized  to  leave  the  freight.  The 
boys  argued  and  expostulated  and  expounded  all 
to  no  purpose.  They  explained  that  Max  had 
lost  most  of  his  sleep  during  the  last  week  or  two 
and  wanted  a  little  slumber.  They  told  him  of 
Max's  instructions  for  them  to  receive  and  receipt 
for  the  bale,  but  without  avail.     When  at  last 

56 


THE  TOVNG  SHIPMASTER 

they  were  obliged  to  wake  Max,  he  declared  that 
for  this  one  time  at  least,  the  quartermaster's  de- 
partment was  right. 

"  I'll  do  the  like,"  he  said  after  the  sergeant  was 
gone,  "  if  ever  I  get  that  bale  to  Nassau.  Til  de- 
liver it  to  the  agent  to  whom  it  is  consigned,  or 
else  I'll  deliver  it  to  nobody.  Even  on  the  agent's 
own  written  orders  I  will  not  let  the  bale  pass  out 
of  my  hands  into  any  custody  but  his  own.  So  let's 
have  supper.' ' 


57 


B 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Sairey  Ann 

U  |  J  UT  tell  us,  Max,"  said  Billy  as  the  supper 
was  in  progress,  "  what  was  the  dispute 
between  you  and  the  quartermaster  con- 
cerning the  bale  marked  Circle  X?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  forgot  that,  or  I  was  interrupted,  or 
something.  Well,  you  remember  he  wanted  me 
to  carry  our  cargo  on  deck  and  I  would  not  do  it. 
That  was  only  because  he  wanted  to  find  out 
where  I  was  going  and  why.  Then  when  the  bale 
marked  Circle  X  came  to  him  with  minute  and 
very  positive  instructions  as  to  its  care  and  deliv- 
ery to  me  his  curiosity  was  still  further  excited 
and  he  thought  he  had  a  new  opportunity  to  find 
out  about  this  expedition.  He  realized  at  once 
that  in  some  way — he  couldn't  imagine  in  what 
way — this  enterprise  centered  itself  around  that 
bale  of  cotton.  So  he  came  down  here  to  see  me 
in  person.  He  told  me  that  the  care  of  that  bale 
was  a  matter  of  the  first  consequence,  a  fact  that 
I  knew  very  much  better  than  he  could  guess.  So 
he  wanted  me  to  take  out  all  my  cargo  in  order 

58 


THE  SAIRET  ANN 


that  the  bale  marked  Circle  X  might  be  stowed 
away  forward  in  the  fore  peak,  with  all  the  other 
bales  behind  it  for  its  protection/' 

"  Protection  against  what?  "  asked  Tibe. 

"  I  don't  at  all  know,"  answered  Max.  "  But 
that  was  what  he  suggested.  I  told  him  I  was 
going  to  carry  that  one  bale  on  deck,  just  aft  of 
the  mast.  It  was  contrary  to  my  practice  to  tell 
him  anything,  but  I  had  to  tell  him  that  as  an  ex- 
planation of  my  requisition  for  certain  extra  sup- 
plies of  small  cordage  with  which  to  lash  the  bale 
securely/' 

"  And  did  he  object  to  that,  after  wanting  you 
to  carry  the  whole  cargo  on  deck?  "  asked  Billy. 

"  Object?  Of  course  he  did.  He  has  objected 
to  everything  from  start  to  finish.  He  objects 
like  a  lawyer  in  a  criminal  court.  In  fact  that  is 
what  he  was  before  the  war." 

"  Well,  how  did  you  arrange  it?" 

"  Why,  he  notified  me  that  he  wouldn't  deliver 
the  bale  marked  Circle  X  unless  I  would  agree  to 
stow  it  as  he  proposed.  Then  I  simply  tele- 
graphed to  the  War  Department,  stating  the  facts 
and  asking  for  orders.  You  have  seen  the  orders 
that  came  in  response.  So  now  I  suppose  I  am 
master  of  the  situation.  I've  got  the  boat,  I've 
got  the  bale  and  I've  got  a  crew  that  will  stand  by 
me. 


59 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Thank  you !  "  said  both  boys  in  a  breath. 

"  But  tell  us,  Max,"  added  Billy,  "  why  do  you 
intend  to  carry  the  bale  marked  Circle  X  on 
deck?" 

"  Why,  simply  in  order  that  we  may  not  fail  to 
carry  out  our  instructions,"  answered  Max. 
"  You  see  we  must  be  able  at  any  moment  to  get 
at  that  bale.  We  must  either  deliver  it  in  safety 
or  we  must  blow  it  up.  So  I  want  it  in  a  con- 
venient position  for  any  emergency.  Suppose 
we  had  it  stowed  below  when  we  attempt  to  get 
out  to  sea.  Suppose  one  of  those  big  ironclads 
should  hit  us  with  a  shell  the  shape  of  a  street 
lamp  and  twice  its  size.  The  ship  would  go  to 
pieces  of  course.  But  cotton  bales  float,  and  that 
one  would  float  with  the  rest.  It  would  be  picked 
up  of  course,  and  opened.  Then  precisely  that 
would  happen  which  it  is  our  mission  to  prevent. 
So  I  intend  to  place  the  bale  on  the  deck  just  aft 
of  the  mast,  where  we  can  get  at  it.  If  a  shell 
strikes  us,  as  it  easily  may,  and  knocks  our  old 
tub  to  pieces,  there  may  still  be  time  for  one  or 
another  of  us  to  blow  up  the  bale  by  firing  a  pistol 
at  it." 

"  It  occurs  to  me,"  said  Tiberius  Gracchus 
Smith,  "  that  this  is  an  uncommonly  cheerful  and 
enlivening  conversation  with  which  to  promote 
the  easy  and  comfortable  digestion  of  a  supper  of 

60 


THE  SAIRE7~  ANN 


salt  horse  like  the  one  we're  eating.  How  it  does 
encourage  a  man's  digestive  apparatus  to  wrestle 
with  fried  corned  beef — for  that's  just  what  we 
are  eating — to  be  told  that  presently  all  the  con- 
voluted surfaces  of  his  digestive  tract  are  likely  to 
be  torn  into  shreds  by  gunpowder !  " 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  Max,  taking  Tibe  seri- 
ously, "  we've  got  to  understand  these  things  be- 
fore we  sail,  and  besides,  Tibe,  you  fellows  asked 
for  the  explanation." 

Tibe  laughed,  and  that  seemed  to  explain  mat- 
ters. 

Supper  over,  Max  had  some  torches  lighted, 
and,  under  his  directions,  the  bale  marked  Circle  X 
was  securely  lashed  to  the  deck  by  the  other  boys. 
It  was  already  completely  covered  with  bagging 
carefully  sewed  on,  and  on  one  of  its  sides,  just  in 
the  middle,  was  the  mark : 


® 


Max  was  careful  to  place  that  side  where  it 
could  be  easily  got  at,  but  where  rain  and  spray 
would  least  affect  it,  for,  in  a  private  communica- 
tion from  the  War  Department,  Max  had  re- 
ceived this  instruction: 

"  If  you  have  to  fire  the  bale  marked  Circle  X, 
you  will  do  so  by  discharging  a  pistol  into  it  at 
the  centre  of  the  mark  ®.     At  that  point  lies 

6i 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

the  end  of  the  port-fire,  just  under  the  bagging. 
It  has  half  a  pound  of  gunpowder  around  it,  scat- 
tered among  the  cotton.  This  is  for  extra  cer- 
tainty of  firing  only.  The  gunpowder  may  get 
wet,  though  you  are  instructed  to  guard  against 
that.  But  in  any  case  a  pistol  shot  will  ignite  the 
port-fire — wet  or  dry." 

Perhaps  it  should  be  explained  that  a  port-fire 
is  a  pasteboard  tube  packed,  under  pressure,  full 
of  a  paste  made  of  finely  pulverized  powder  mixed 
with  alcohol.  When  dry  this  composition  is  flint- 
like in  its  hardness,  and,  once  afire,  nothing  can 
put  it  out.  It  sends  out  great  volumes  of  sput- 
tering flame  like  that  of  a  roman  candle,  and 
serves  all  the  purposes  of  the  celebrated  "  Greek 
Fire."  The  flame  from  it  will  burn  a  hole 
through  a  two  inch  oak  plank  in  a  few  seconds, 
and  immersing  it  in  water  makes  no  difference 
whatever  in  the  fierceness  of  its  burning.  The 
idea  in  this  case  was  that  if  the  bale  should  be  cast 
into  the  sea,  after  the  port-fire  was  once  ignited, 
the  explosion  would  occur  as  certainly  as  if  it  had 
remained  on  deck.  With  the  port-fire  once  alight 
no  power  in  nature  could  prevent  the  explosion. 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  Max,  when  the  lashing  of 
the  bale  was  complete,  "  we're  ready  to  sail.  I'd 
like  to  be  off  to-night  but  the  harbor  guards  would 
never  let  us  pass   down  after   sunset.     In  the 

62 


THE  SAIRET  ANN 


morning  we'll  be  off  and  we'll  anchor  before  night 
at  the  harbor  entrance  of  the  blind  inlet  that  I'm 
going  to  slip  through.  Now  I'm  going  to  sleep  a 
little.  You  fellows  must  keep  guard  alternately. 
Your  orders  are  to  let  nobody  come  down  the  pier 
farther  than  that  second  check  post." 

Just  then  a  section  of  artillery — two  Napoleon 
guns — came  hurrying  to  the  pier  and  the  lieuten- 
ant in  command  of  it  announced  that  he  had  or- 
ders to  guard  the  ship  until  her  time  of  sailing. 
"  Which  is  she?  "  he  asked. 

Max  pointed  out  the  sloop,  and  the  lieutenant, 
in  some  astonishment,  said  "  Oh ! "  A  moment 
later  he  added : 

"  Is  that  the  best  they  could  do  for  you?  I'm 
counted  a  pretty  good  sailor  myself,  for  an  ama- 
teur, but  I  confess  I  don't  envy  you  your  voyage 
across  the  Gulf  Stream  in  that  tub." 

"  I  have  not  said  that  we  are  going  to  cross  the 
Gulf  Stream,"  answered  Max  in  quiet  determina- 
tion not  to  reveal  the  nature  of  his  mission  or  his 
destination. 

"  Oh,  of  course,"  answered  the  lieutenant.  "  I 
only  assumed  that,  seeing  that  you  have  cotton  on 
board.  Besides  there  seems  to  be  an  extraordi- 
nary concern  at  headquarters  for  the  safety  of 
your  boat.  My  orders  are  not  to  permit  any  sort 
of  craft,  big  or  little,  to  approach  within  a  hun- 

6$ 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

■— —  — — — ^ 

dred  yards  of  her,  and  to  blow  out  of  the  water 
any  boat  that  persists  in  trying  to  do  so.  I  am 
ordered  to  challenge  only  once  in  each  case  and 
then  to  fire  if  the  boat  doesn't  instantly  go  about. 
So  I  naturally  infer  that  you  are  going  on  some 
mission  of  more  importance  than  a  trip  around 
the  harbor.  However  I  didn't  mean  to  ask  im- 
pertinent questions." 

But  the  lieutenant  did  mean  precisely  that, 
and  Max  Voxetter  knew  it.  The  lieutenant  was 
in  fact  a  brother  of  the  quartermaster,  and  he  was 
under  quiet  orders  to  find  out  all  he  could  concern- 
ing the  expedition. 

But  Max  accepted  his  apology  quite  as  if  he  be- 
lieved it  to  be  sincere,  and  then  went  to  his  two 
comrades  and  said  to  them  aside : 

"  You  two  are  to  sleep  in  the  little  bunk  room 
on  board  to-night.  It  isn't  as  comfortable  there 
as  out  here  on  the  pier,  but  discomfort  is  part  of 
our  job.  With  all  these  artillerymen  on  guard 
we  needn't  serve  as  sentries  to-night.  But  while 
we  sleep  somebody  may  want  to  take  a  look  at  our 
charts.  You  see  a  glance  at  them  would  tell  him 
just  where  we're  going.  So  you  two  will  sleep 
in  the  two  bunks  and  I'll  sleep  on  deck  by  the  com- 
panionway.  Keep  your  pistols  handy  and  remem- 
ber that  no  human  being  but  ourselves  has  any 
business  on  board  the  boat  to-night." 

64 


THE  SAIRET  ANN 


The  boys  understood.  While  waiting  for  bed 
time  to  come  they  inspected  the  sloop  by  the 
light  of  the  torches  more  closely  than  they  had 
done  before. 

"  Sairey  Annl"  said  Tibe  meditatively,  read- 
ing the  sloop's  name,  Sarah  Ann,  on  her  stern. 
"  Well,  she  looks  it.  I  would  have  called  her  the 
'Sairey  Ann'  just  on  general  principles. " 

"  But  she's  a  good  boat  of  her  kind,"  said  Max. 
"  She  has  a  very  light  draught  when  her  centre- 
board is  up,  and  for  our  purposes  that  is  import- 
ant. She's  reasonably  stout  and  I  suspect  that  if 
properly  handled  she  can  show  her  heels  to  many 
a  prettier  boat.  But,  as  your  remark  suggests, 
she  is  certainly  not  beautiful.,, 

"  No,"  answered  Billy,  "  she  may  perhaps  '  walk 
the  waters  '  as  the  poet  hath  it,  but  certainly  not 
as  a  '  thing  of  beauty  '  or  a  '  joy  forever  '  or  any- 
thing of  that  sort.  By  the  way,  Max,  you've  had 
her  newly  painted.  Why  didn't  you  select  a  bet- 
ter color  ?  This  looks  like  a  bunch  of  dried  sage 
leaves." 

"  That  is  just  how  I  wanted  it  to  look.  It's 
just  the  color  of  the  sea  when  seen  at  a  distance, 
and  so  it  isn't  easy  to  see  a  boat  of  that  color  on 
the  sea.  There,  I  don't  mean  to  make  puns,  but 
merely  to  explain.  All  the  blockade  running 
steamers  are  painted  this  color  so  that  they  shall 

65 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

be  as  inconspicuous  as  possible  at  sea.  I've  car- 
ried the  thing  further.  I've  had  the  mast,  the 
boom  and  even  the  sails  painted  the  same  color. 
You  see  I  don't  intend  to  fail  in  this  enterprise  if 
I  can  help  it,  and  so  no  precaution  is  too  small  to 
take,  no  chance  too  insignificant  to  be  provided 
for." 

"  You'll  not  fail,  Max,"  said  Tibe,  with  impres- 
siveness,  and  somehow  the  assurance  seemed  a 
comforting  one,  though  of  course  Tibe  could  see 
no  further  into  the  future  than  anybody  else.  He 
added,  "You  aren't  the  kind  that  fails,  and  you 
aren't  beginning  in  a  way  to  fail." 

Somehow  it  all  cheered  the  worn  out  and  over 
anxious  boy  as  he  stretched  himself  upon  the  deck 
to  sleep,  leaving  the  two  comparatively  uncom- 
fortable bunks  below  to  his  companions. 


66 


CHAPTER  VII 
Captain  and  Crew 

IN  the  morning  the  lieutenant  breakfasted 
with  Max,  and  plied  him  ceaselessly  with 
direct  and  indirect  questions. 

"What  stores  have  you  aboard  ?"  he  asked, 
adding  by  way  of  explanation  and  apology,  "  you 
see  that's  an  important  matter  if  your  voyage  is 
uncertain  as  to  its  duration." 

"  Oh,  I  think  we  have  enough  to  see  us 
through,"  was  Max's  noncommittal  reply.  "  We 
shall  probably  run  short  of  sugar,  because  of  Billy 
Boker's  inordinate  craving  for  sweets  " — as  a  mat- 
ter of  fact  Billy  detested  sugar  in  every  form — 
"  but  we  have  bacon  and  bread  enough." 

"  How  will  you  cook  on  your  voyage?  "  asked 
the  lieutenant.  "  For  of  course  on  a  little  sloop 
like  that  there's  no  cook's  galley." 

"  No,  of  course  not,"  answered  Max  still  de- 
termined to  parry  the  lieutenant's  questions. 
"  But  I  have  some  cooked  rations  on  board,  includ- 
ing a  big  boiled  ham,  and  I  have  a  brazier  and 
some  charcoal  over  which  we  can  cook  a  little, 

67 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

and  then  there  is  always  the  final  resource  of  go- 
ing ashore  somewhere  and  cooking  under  a  tree." 

The  lieutenant  here  lost  his  self  possession. 
"  Then  you  are  not  going  to  sea  after  all ! "  he 
said. 

"  I  did  not  say  that,  Lieutenant/'  answered 
Max  with  a  smile. 

"  But  your  words  implied  it,"  said  the  other. 

"  It  is  never  safe  to  trust  inferences,"  said  Max, 
"  particularly  when  the  man  from  whose  words 
you  draw  them  is  acting  under  confidential  or- 
ders from  the  War  Department,  with  special  and 
very  imperative  instructions  to  let  nobody  know 
anything  about  his  destination  or  the  nature  of 
his  mission.  Now,  Lieutenant,  I  must  bid  you 
adieu.  I  will  tell  you  this  much  of  my  purpose. 
I  am  going  to  drop  down  the  harbor  this  morn- 
ing. 

With  that  he  went  aboard  and  ordered  the  sloop 
cast  loose.  The  two  boys,  whom  he  had  some- 
what trained  as  sailors,  at  Bluffton,  hoisted  the 
mainsail  and  set  the  jib,  and  in  a  light  breeze  the 
sloop  slowTly  made  her  way  down  the  harbor.  She 
passed  between  Castle  Pinckney  and  Fort  Ripley, 
where  a  guard  came  off  to  inspect  the  boat's  sail- 
ing permit.  She  passed  Fort  Sumter  where  an- 
other guard  boarded  her  for  the  same  purpose. 
Then  she  turned  her  course  southeastward,  to- 

68 


CAPTAIN  AND  CREW 

-     ~— ■— ■ — —  ■■■■■      I  i— ■«— III M     II ■■—■«— M— 

ward  James  Island,  and  passed  close  under  the 
guns  of  Fort  Johnson.  There  the  disposition  was 
to  enforce  a  rigid  inspection.  But  Max  had  pro- 
vided for  that.  He  carried  a  slip  of  paper  on 
which  the  following  words  were  written : 

"  Special  Order  No.  23. 

Headquarters,  Department  of  South 
Carolina  &  Georgia, 

Charleston,  Oct.  5,  1863. 

"  Sergeant-Major  Maximilian  Voxetter,  in 
command  of  the  sloop  Sarah  Ann,  is  proceed- 
ing, under  special  orders  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment, upon  a  mission  of  a  confidential  character. 
The  officers  in  command  of  all  forts  and  posts  in 
and  about  the  harbor,  are  hereby  ordered  to  per- 
mit him  to  pass  their  posts  at  will  by  day  or  by 
night,  and  to  put  to  sea,  if  that  becomes  in  his 
judgment  necessary,  without  molestation  or  delay 
of  any  kind  whatever.  This  order  is  peremp- 
tory and  applies  to  all  persons  of  every  rank. 

By  order  of  General  Beauregard. 
(Signed)        Thomas  Jordan, 

Brig.  Gen.  and  A.  A.  G!' 

This  was  "  open  sesame  "  of  course,  and  Max 
was  permitted  to  proceed.  But  the  officer  to 
whom  he  had  presented  this  special  order,  looked 
with  wondering  eyes  at  the  tub-like  sloop,  and 
muttered : 

"  Well,  all  I've  got  to  say  is  that  that  young 

69 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

chap  will  make  a  mistake  if  he  puts  to  sea  in 
that  tub.  I  wouldn't  go  five  miles  out  in  her  for 
the  total  value  of  her  cargo." 

That  officer  did  not  know  Max  Voxetter. 

Max  sailed  his  clumsy  craft  along  the  shore  of 
James  Island,  which  bounds  the  harbor  on  the 
southeast,  inspecting  the  mouth  of  every  inlet  and 
creek,  as  he  went.  After  awhile  he  suddenly 
changed  his  course  and  pushed  his  boat  into  a 
narrow  channel  that  twisted  and  turned  in  an  ap- 
parently hopeless  confusion  of  ideas  as  to  whither 
it  wanted  to  go.  The  wind  failing,  he  made  the 
boys  take  some  long  poles  which  he  had  provided 
for  that  purpose,  and  with  the  aid  of  an  outgoing 
tide,  he  had  them  push  the  sloop  farther  and  far- 
ther down  the  tortuous  channel.  He  meanwhile 
steered  and  gave  necessary  directions  to  his  com- 
rades. It  was  slow  work,  and  at  last,  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  he  called  out : 

"  Heave  an  anchor  overboard,  boys !  The  tide 
is  turning.  We'll  lie  here  till  it  turns  again,  about 
eight  o'clock  tonight.'' 

Then  it  was  that  Tibe  Smith  ventured  upon  the 
question  that  for  hours  had  been  haunting  his 
mind. 

"  I  say,  Max,"  he  said  almost  in  a  whisper, 
when  the  boat  swung  securely  by  her  anchor  line, 
"  there's  something  on  my  conscience." 

7° 


CAPTAIN  AND  CREW 

i 

"All  right,"  answered  Max,  smiling,  for 
he  saw  that  Tibe  had  something  like  a  jest 
ready,  "  all  right,  unload  your  conscience  at 
once." 

"  Well,"  said  Tibe,  with  great  seeming  earnest- 
ness, "  when  that  lieutenant  was  questioning  you 
this  morning  about  our  supplies,  you  told  him 
whatever  you  liked.  But  incidentally  and  quite 
casually  you  mentioned  a  certain  '  boiled  ham/ 
Was  that  true,  Max?  or  was  the  ham  a  figment 
of  the  imagination  ?  " 

"  Oh,  the  ham  is  actual  enough,"  answered  the 
boy,  "  but  why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

"  Because  of  hunger  first  and  curiosity  after- 
ward. Hunger  prompts  me  to  think  that  on  a 
boiled  ham  we  may  make  one  more  civilized  and 
satisfactory  dinner  before  you  find  it  necessary  to 
blow  us  into  indistinguishable  bits.  I've  lived  on 
fish  so  long  that  even  the  rancid  bacon  we  had  this 
morning  was  a  refreshment  to  my  soul.  And  the 
thought  of  a  boiled  ham,  a  real  ham,  stirs  all  that 
is  heroic  in  my  nature.  Give  me  a  carving  knife 
for  sword,  and  I  will  advance  upon  that  ham  and 
assail  it  with  a  courage  and  determination  that 
should  commend  me  for  mention  in  General 
Orders.  Oh,  Max !  I  pray  you  deceive  me  not ! 
Is  the  ham  a  fact?  " 

Max  laughed  and  went  to  the  locker.     Pres- 

71 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

ently  he  produced  the  ham  in  visible  evidence,  and 
with  it  some  army  hard  tack. 

"  See  for  yourself/'  he  said. 

"  But  I  say,  Tibe,"  interrupted  Billy  Boker, 
"  you  haven't  given  us  the  second  part  of  your 
explanation.  We  understand  the  hunger,  because 
we  share  it.  But  what  about  the  curiosity  of 
which  you  spoke?" 

"  Oh,  well,  that  will  keep  till  I've  finished  carv- 
ing," said  Tibe.  And  with  that  he  filled  the  plates 
of  both  his  comrades — tin  plates — with  the  juicy 
Virginia  ham.  "  Now,"  he  said  after  tasting  the 
dainty,  "  now  I  am  prepared  for  any  enterprise 
however  arduous  or  desperate,  and  Max,  I  pledge 
you  anew  my  undying  friendship  and  devotion  as 
a  reward  for  furnishing  us  this  ham.  If  you  want 
anybody  blown  up,  just  mention  your  desire  to  me 
incidentally  as  it  were,  and  Til  blow  him  up  to 
your  heart's  content,  even  if  the  fellow  to  be  blown 
up  should  happen  to  be  Tibe  Smith  or  Billy  Boker, 
or  you.  A  man  fully  fed  on  Virginia  ham  of  this 
kind,  after  a  fish  diet  of  several  months'  duration, 
is  ready  for  stratagems  and  spoils." 

"  But  come  back  to  your  text,  Tibe,"  inter- 
rupted Billy.  "What  about  the  curiosity?  It 
seems  to  me  you  are  as  full  of  words  as  of  ham." 

"  Oh,  yes,  of  course,"  answered  Tibe.  "  Well, 
my  curiosity  was  stimulated  to  ask  Max  where  he 

72 


CAPTAIN  AND  CREW 

got  the  ham.  Of  course  no  commissary  ever  is- 
sued anything  of  that  delicious  kind.  He  would 
have  saved  it  for  '  headquarters '  and  '  headquar- 
ters '  would  have  meant  his  own  mess.  So,  Max, 
'fess  up.  You've  been  robbing  somebody's  smoke- 
house.    Now — " 

"  Of  course  I  have/'  answered  Max.  "  But  I 
had  an  accessory  in  the  robbery.  When  I  came  to 
Charleston  I  naturally  went  to  my  father's  house. 
It  is  deserted  now,  except  that  old  Mammy  Juliet 
is  in  charge.  Well,  old  Mammy  Juliet,  while  she 
does  not  suggest  the  passionate  attentions  of 
Romeos,  is  a  dear  old  negro  woman.  She  nursed 
me  when  I  was  a  baby,  and  she  can't  get  over  the 
notion  that  I  am  a  baby  still.  So  she  coddles  me 
just  as  much  as  she  did  when  I  first  began  to  ■  take 
notice,'  as  she  puts  it.  When  she  found  that  I 
was  going  away  on  this  expedition,  for  I  violated 
orders  so  far  as  to  tell  the  dear  old  Mammy  about 
it,  she  told  me  of  this  ham,  which  had  lain  for 
three  years  in  hickory  ashes  in  the  smoke  house. 
She  lovingly  got  it  out  and  boiled  it  for  me,  say- 
ing: 

" l  My  precious  chile,  when  de  cannon  balls 
blows  up  your  innards  they's  got  to  find  'em  well 
fed  innards  like  a  Southern  gentleman's  innards 
ought  to  be.'     That's  the  history  of  the  ham." 

"  Well,    it   is   the   very   best   history    I   ever 

73 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

studied/'  said  Tibe.  "  It  beats  Xenophon  and 
Herodotus  all  to  bits.  It  has  '  more  meat  in  it/ 
if  I  may  so  express  myself/' 

After  their  dinner  Max  explained  to  his  com- 
panions as  he  had  not  done  before,  his  plans  and 
purposes. 

"  You  see,"  he  said,  "  our  first  problem  is  to  get 
to  sea.  The  blockade  is  very  close  now  and  very 
watchful.  The  fleet  just  off  the  harbor  has  been 
strengthened  and  Stono  Inlet,  which  bounds  James 
Island  on  the  south, — the  island  we  are  now  on 
or  in — is  full  of  war  ships.  At  night,  I  learn, 
the  fleet  crowds  close  up  to  all  the  entrances — par- 
ticularly the  mouth  of  the  harbor  and  the  mouth 
of  Folly  River.  We  are  in  a  little  branch  of  Folly 
River  now,  and  the  river  runs  into  Stono  Inlet." 

u  Then  how  do  you  expect  to  get  out  through 
the  mouth  of  this  river?  "  asked  Billy. 

"  Well,  it  isn't  a  river  and  I  don't  for  a  moment 
think  of  getting  out  through  the  mouth  of  it. 
Wait  a  minute  and  I'll  show  you." 

Max  went  below  and  brought  up  a  sheet  of 
paper  about  four  feet  square,  on  which  was  a  sort 
of  map  dotted  all  over  with  little  figures. 

"  This,"  he  said,  "  is  a  chart  of  Charleston  har- 
bor and  its  connecting  waters.  It  is  made  by  the 
government  at  Washington.  It  shows  everything 
in  exact  detail,  with  precise  compass  directions, 

74 


CAPTAIN  AND  CREW 


and  the  little  figures  show  at  every  point  what  the 
depth  of  the  water  at  that  spot  is  at  mean,  or  ordi- 
nary, low  tide.  Of  course  spring  tides  and  neap 
tides  are  different." 

"  Tell  us  about  them,"  broke  in  Billy.  "  I  never 
did  understand — " 

"  Not  now,"  said  Max.  "  I'll  explain  all  that 
some  day  when  we  get  out  to  sea,  if  we  ever  do 
get  out  to  sea.  Just  now  it's  our  only  business 
to  do  that,  and  I  want  to  explain  to  you  how  I 
plan  to  do  it,  because  then  you'll  know  how  to 
help  me  do  it.  Now  look  here  on  the  chart.  Bear 
in  mind  that  every  line  and  curve  here  is  mathe- 
matically exact.  Now  you  see  that  this  so  called 
Folly  River  is  in  fact  nothing  more  than  an  inlet 
running  up  here  from  Stono  Inlet  and  cutting  off 
Folly  Island  from  James  Island.  It  runs  parallel 
with  the  sea  and  very  near  to  it,  as  you  see  on  the 
chart.  And,  as  you  also  see,  its  upper  or  north- 
ern part,  branches  out  into  a  hundred  or  more  little 
creeks,  lying  very  close  to  the  sea  and  separated 
from  it  only  by  marshes  that  are  scarcely  out  of 
water  even  at  low  tide.  There  are  many  shallow 
creeks  that  connect  these  upper  waters  with  the 
sea  itself.  Most  of  them  are  dry  or  nearly  so  at 
low  tide,  while  at  high  tide  they  have  five  or  six 
feet  of  water  in  them.  Very  well.  I  intend  to 
slip  out  through  one  of  these  to-night  if  I  can. 

7S 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

I  shall  thus  reach  the  sea  'at  a  point  about  half  way 
between  Stono  Inlet  and  the  harbor  mouth,  and 
of  course  the  blockading  vessels  are  concentrated 
mainly  at  those  two  points.  At  any  rate  they 
won't  be  watching  these  wretched  little  channels 
through  which  no  vessel  much  bigger  than  this 
one  could  possibly  pass." 

"  But  is  there  water  enough  for  us?"  asked 
Tibe. 

"  Yes,  if  I  can  manage  to  find  the  channel  I 
want.  It  has  six  or  seven  feet  of  water  at  high 
tide  and  a  good  heavy  dew  even  at  low  tide." 

"How  much  does  the  Sairey  Ann  draw?" 
Tibe  would  not  call  the  ship  by  any  other  name 
than  that.  He  insisted  that  she  must  be  the 
u  Sairey  Ann/'  "  because  she  looks  it." 

"  Not  quite  four  feet  .with  the  centre-board  up," 
answered  Max.  "  Three  feet  seven,  by  measure- 
ment, but  when  in  motion  a  ship  '  draws  down '  a 
little,  as  sailors  say.  That  is  to  say,  the  impelling 
force,  whether  wind  or  steam,  causes  her  to  sink 
a  trifle  deeper  when  in  motion." 

"  Then  four  feet  of  water  is  enough  for  us  ?  " 
asked  Tibe. 

"  Hardly.  I  should  prefer  five  at  the  least. 
We  want  a  little  extra  water  under  us  for  safety. 
Now  I'm  waiting  till  night  for  several  reasons. 
First  of  all  we  can't  do  much  in  the  way  of  sailing 

76 


CAPTAIN  AND  CREW 

in  these  narrow  channels.  Of  course  we  can't 
1  tack '  at  all,  and  we  must  do  that  if  we  sail 
through  a  creek  that  changes  its  direction  every 
twenty  feet  and  pretty  nearly  boxes  the  compass 
every  hundred  yards.  So  we  must  depend  mainly 
on  the  tide  to  float  us  out  of  here." 

"  That's  so  clear  that  even  my  nautically  be- 
nighted understanding  grasps  it  easily,"  answered 
Tibe,  "  but  what's  your  '  secondly '  ?  You  see 
you  gave  us  that  as  '  first  of  all.'  " 

"  Well,  it's  a  rather  serious  '  secondly,'  "  an- 
swered Max.  "  In  the  course  of  his  efforts  to  find 
out  my  plans,  that  lieutenant  told  me  this  morning 
that  the  enemy  is  said  to  have  crossed  over  to 
Folly  Island  yesterday.  If  that  is  so,  he  will  of 
course  establish  pickets  and  send  out  scouting  par- 
ties, and  we  may  very  easily  stumble  upon  one  of 
these,  which  would  be  awkward  for  us.  In  the 
night  the  chance  of  that  is  less  than  in  day  time." 

"  But,  I  say,  Max,"  broke  in  Billy  Boker,  "  how 
can  anybody  scout  over  marshes  like  these? 
Every  man  would  sink  up  to  his  eyes  in  mud  at 
each  step." 

"  In  boats,"  answered  Max  sententiously. 
"  The  first  thing  a  capable  commander  trying  to 
establish  himself  on  this  island  would  think  of 
doing  would  be  to  send  out  boats  to  explore  every 
wet  place  in  these  marshes.     The  one  thing  I  am 

77 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

now  most  anxious  about  is  that.  If  we  should 
happen  upon  a  boat  with  ten  or  a  dozen  armed 
men  in  it,  we  should  almost  certainly  have  to  blow 
up  the  bale  marked  Circle  X.  My  hope  is  to  slip 
out  in  the  darkness  without  encountering  any  such 
boat's  crew." 

"  But  why  couldn't  we  defend  ourselves  ?" 
asked  Billy.  "  We  have  our  pistols,  our  Enfield 
rifles  and  that  little  boat  howitzer." 

"  It's  just  like  you,  Billy,"  said  Tibe,  "  to  cata- 
logue things  in  the  inverse  order  of  their  small- 
ness.  You'd  describe  this  ship's  company  as  con- 
sisting of  little  you,  big  Max,  and  bigger  Tiberius 
Gracchus  Smith.  And  so  in  cataloguing  our  de- 
fences you  begin  with  the  pistols  and  wind  up 
with  the  howitzer." 

"  In  both  cases,"  answered  Billy  in  his  delib- 
erate way,  "  I  should  simply  be  conforming  my 
speech  to  the  wisest  law  of  rhetoric.  It  would  be 
a  distinct  anti-climax  to  begin  with  you  and  the 
cannon,  pass  on  to  Max  and  the  rifles,  and  wind 
up  with  me  and  the  pistols." 

"  That's  all  right,  you  fellows,"  said  Max. 
"  Only  you  mustn't  carry  it  too  far.  I  should 
have  shouted  with  laughter  over  that  sally  if  I 
weren't  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  keeping 
quiet  while  we  lie  here  in  the  mud  and  marsh 
grass.     In  fact  I'll  confess  that  one  of  my  chief 

78 


CAPTAIN  AND  CREW 

purposes  in  bringing  you  two  with  me  on  this  ex- 
pedition was  to  hear  you  spar  with  each  other  in 
intellectual  fence.  But  just  now  I'll  trouble  you 
not  to  talk  too  loud.  Your  voice,  Tibe,  is  like 
that  of  a  fog  horn,  and  Billy's  flatter  one  has  an 
incisiveness  about  it  that  makes  it  singularly  pene- 
trating. So  please  moderate  your  voices  till  we 
get  out  to  sea.  Save  them  for  use  in  hailing  a 
distant  vessel  if  we  happen  to  get  wrecked." 

"  Oh,  all  right,"  said  Billy.  "  But  while  we  are 
under  military  discipline  and  must  obey  implicitly, 
I  do  not  understand  that  our  voices  were  regularly 
mustered  into  service  and  thereby  made  subject 
to  orders.  If  I  were  as  big  as  you,  Tibe,  I'd  yell, 
just  by  way  of  asserting  myself.  I've  seen  babies 
do  that  lots  of  times." 

"  Billy,"  said  Max,  "  I'm  going  to  sleep  for 
an  hour.  You  and  Tibe  are  to  keep  a  sharp  look- 
out and  wake  me  if  anything  happens."  With 
that  he  stretched  himself  out  on  the  deck,  with  his 
head  on  a  coil  of  rope  and  in  an  instant  was  sound 
asleep. 

"  Now  I  know,"  said  Tibe,  "  why  Max  wanted 
us  to  suppress  our  voices.  But  do  you  really  sup- 
pose, Billy,  that  you  and  I  would  know  if  '  any- 
thing happened  '  within  the  meaning  of  the  statute 
he  has  enacted  for  our  guidance?  " 

11  Well,  if  a  boatload  of  hostile  men  should  sud- 

79 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

denly  board  us,  I  fancy  that  the  thought  of  wak- 
ing Max  would  in  some  way  find  entrance  into  our 
minds.  What's  the  matter  with  you,  Tibe,  that 
you  talk  so  much  nonsense  ?" 

"  I'm  exuberantly  happy,  that's  all,"  answered 
"  T.  G."  as  Billy  sometimes  called  him.  "  We're 
off  on  a  lark  of  the  very  larkiest  kind  imaginable, 
and  it  has  set  my  blood  tingling.  Do  you  know, 
Billy,  I've  sometimes  thought  of  deserting  down 
there  at  Bluffton,  and  getting  myself  court  mar- 
tialed  and  shot,  just  by  way  of  bringing  some 
kind  of  variety  into  our  intolerably  monotonous 
lives.  This  thing  suits  me  perfectly.  Of  course, 
I  want  Max's  expedition  to  succeed,  but  incident- 
ally I  hope  it  will  encounter  all  sorts  of  obstacles 
and  difficulties  and  dangers/' 

"  Well  now,  let  me  give  you  a  bit  of  advice," 
said  Billy.  "  Don't  you  give  yourself  the  trouble 
of  inventing  any  such  incidents  for  the  expedition. 
We  are  likely  to  stumble  upon  quite  enough  of 
them  without  your  agency,  to  satisfy  your  most 
exacting  desires.  This  job  isn't  going  to  be  an 
easy  one,  or  in  any  other  respect  a  soft  one.  Max 
will  stop  at  nothing  to  carry  out  his  orders." 

"Do  you  suppose  I  don't  know  that?"  asked 
Tibe  with  unusual  seriousness.  "  Don't  I  know 
Max  Voxetter?  Don't  I  know  that  if  his  orders 
required  it  he'd  sail  the    Sairey   Ann    over  the 

80 


CAPTAIN  AND  CREW 

Falls  of  Niagara,  through  the  Maelstrom  and  up 
the  rock  of  Gibraltar,  and  smile  while  he  was 
doing  it  ?" 

14  Your  geographical  references  are  somewhat 
— well  let  us  say  '  mingled  ' — "  answered  Billy, 
u  but  they  very  aptly  suggest  the  temperament  of 
Maximilian  Voxetter.  What  there  is  to  do  he 
will  try  with  all  his  might  to  do;  what  there  is 
to  dare,  he  will  dare  always  with  a  calm  mind 
and  a  complacent  demeanor.  That  is  why  I  am 
with  him.  I  like  to  follow  a  leader  whom  I  can 
respect  as  my  superior  in  every  way." 

"  Let's  shake  hands  on  that,  Billy,"  said  Tibe  in 
a  very  earnest  voice,  "  and  in  this  undertaking  you 
and  I  will  see  him  through  or  die  with  him,  won't 
we?" 

"  We'll  do  precisely  that,"  said  Billy  with  so 
much  earnestness  in  his  speech  that  his  incisive, 
penetrating  voice  waked  Max  before  his  time. 


81 


CHAPTER  VIII 
The  Battle  in  the  Creek 

WHEN  the  tide  turned,  between  eight  and 
nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  began 
to  run  seaward,  Max  ordered  "  an- 
chor up  and  mouths  closed/' 

"  This  is  the  most  critical  point  in  our  enter- 
prise, boys,  and  absolute  silence  is  necessary.  We 
must  get  to  sea  to-night  or  we  never  will." 

The  night  was  very  dark,  with  a  heavy  thunder- 
storm breeding.  This  was  both  fortunate  and 
unfortunate.  It  helped  Max  to  escape  observa- 
tion, but  it  also  made  navigation  difficult  in  the 
tortuous  channels  he  was  trying  to  follow.  Every 
now  and  then  the  sloop  would  run  her  nose  into  a 
bank  covered  by  long  marsh  grass,  but  the  mud 
was  a  soft  ooze  and  at  high  tide  was  only  a  little 
less  liquid  than  the  salt  water  which  constituted 
the  major  part  of  it.  So,  with  the  aid  of  the 
poles,  the  boys  were  able  to  extricate  the  ship  and 
set  her  on  her  way  again,  in  all  of  which  the  tide, 
now  rapidly  running  out,  mightily  assisted. 

For  nearly  an  hour  all  went  well,  until  Max  at 

82 


THE  BATTLE  IN  THE  CREEK 

last  made  out  the  surf  ahead.  Dark  as  the  night 
was  he  could  see  that  because  of  the  phosphores- 
cent glow  that  appears  in  Southern  waters  when- 
ever the  surface  of  the  sea  is  broken.  The  outlet 
of  the  stream  he  was  traversing  was  not  more 
than  two  or  three  hundred  yards  distant,  in  a 
straight  line,  but  in  following  the  sinuosities  of 
the  creek  Max  knew  that  he  must  travel  much 
further  than  that  in  order  to  reach  the  sea.  Still, 
with  the  sea  in  sight  the  young  soldier  rejoiced, 
believing  that  his  task  was  nearly  done. 

Just  then  half  a  dozen  rifles  broke  loose  from  a 
boat  not  fifty  yards  ahead,  and  the  little  ship  was 
peppered  with  bullets.  The  firing  continued,  and 
Tibe  and  Billy  were  about  to  reply  to  it  with  their 
Enfields,  when  Max  stopped  them.  Max  thought 
quickly,  as  it  was  his  custom  to  do.  He  made  out 
that  there  were  ten  or  a  dozen  men  in  the  assailing 
boat.  "  If  we  contest  the  thing  wTith  rifles,,,  he 
thought,  "  they'll  quickly  discover  our  inferiority 
of  numbers ;  then  they'll  board  us ;  then  good-bye 
to  the  bale  marked  Circle  X  and  to  everybody  con- 
cerned. We  must  sink  that  boat  or  drive  it  away 
instantly."  All  this  thinking  was  done  in  a  mo- 
ment. It  was  as  quick  as  the  flashes  of  light- 
ning that  were  now  bursting  from  the  thunder 
clouds  which  had  at  last  opened  their  batteries. 
By  the  light  of  those  flashes,  Max  saw  the  assail- 

83 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

ing  boat  and,  to  his  delight,  saw  that  she  was 
alone. 

"  Don't  shoot !  "  he  ordered,  turning  to  Billy 
and  Tibe.  "  Load  the  howitzer  quick  with  one 
charge  of  powder  and  two  of  canister.  I'll  point 
it  myself." 

It  required  a  very  few  seconds  to  accomplish 
this,  for  the  boys  were  experienced  artillerymen 
who  made  no  blunders  and  no  false  motions  in 
loading  a  cannon.  But  Max,  who  was  himself 
pointing  the  gun,  did  not  at  once  give  the  order 
to  fire.  He  waited  till  the  next  flash  of  lightning 
gave  him  opportunity  to  perfect  his  aim.  Then 
he  stepped  aside  and  gave  the  word  to  fire. 

No  more  musket  shots  came  aboard  and  the 
next  flash  of  lightning  revealed  a  stream  wholly 
clear  of  craft  of  any  sort.  Whether  the  double 
charge  of  canister  had  torn  the  boat  into  kindling 
wood,  as  it  must  if  it  struck  her  fairly,  or  whether 
the  commander  of  the  boat,  upon  discovering  that 
the  sloop  was  armed  with  a  cannon  had  simply 
practiced  ordinary  discretion  and  pushed  his  boat 
into  some  slough  for  safety,  Max  could  not  at  the 
moment  make  out.  Indeed  he  had  no  time  to 
speculate  much  upon  that  question.  For  his  trou- 
bles were  by  no  means  at  an  end.  The  firing  had 
attracted  the  attention  of  a  Confederate  light  bat- 
tery on  picket  duty  on  Morris  or  James  Island — 

84 


THE  BJTTLE  IN  THE  CREEK 

Max  couldn't  make  out  directions  sufficiently  to 
know  which — and  that  battery  opened  impartially 
on  everybody  concerned,  pitching  its  shells  into 
the  melee  in  reckless  disregard  of  the  distinction 
between  friend  and  foe.  One  of  them  exploded 
immediately  forward  of  the  ship,  and  Max,  who 
had  gone  back  to  the  tiller  to  work  the  ship  out 
if  possible,  called  out  to  Billy,  "  Go  forward  and 
see  if  we  are  damaged." 

Billy  went,  and  returning  reported  that  the  for- 
ward end  of  the  bowsprit  had  been  carried  away, 
adding,  "  and  the  jib  is  hanging  down  like  a  di- 
lapidated undershirt  on  a  collapsed  clothes  line." 

"  Lower  it  then,  at  once,"  said  Max.  "  Tibe, 
take  both  reefs  out  of  the  sail  and  then  both  of  you 
come  to  the  main  sheet.  We  must  get  out  of  this 
quickly,  and  fortunately  there's  a  good  wind  over 
the  quarter." 

The  boys  acted  promptly,  and  while  the  firing 
continued  for  a  time,  it  was  directed  at  a  position 
which  the  Sarah  Ann  had  left,  and  therefore  it 
did  not  endanger  her.  Max  had  a  straight  course 
to  the  sea  now,  and  would  have  made  it  in  a  brief 
time,  but  for  a  cry  of  u  help  " — a  very  feeble  cry — 
that  came  from  just  beneath  the  gunwale.  He 
quickly  brought  the  boat  to  and  presently  picked 
up  a  Federal  soldier,  nearly  drowned  and  obvi- 
ously fainting.     There  was  of  course  no  time  to 

*5 


THE  BALE  MARKED    CIRCLE  X 

lose  in  asking  useless  questions.  Tibe  drew  the 
poor  fellow  aboard,  and  meanwhile  Max  set  the 
boat's  course  again  for  the  sea.  She  slipped  out 
of  the  creek  and  was  at  last  on  the  ocean. 

She  carried  no  lights,  of  course,  except  a  mere 
firefly  lamp  in  the  binnacle  by  which  to  see  the 
compass.  The  night  was  intensely  dark,  for  the 
lightning  had  ceased  and  the  rain  was  coming 
down  in  those  torrents  that  are  never  seen  or  im- 
agined anywhere  north  of  tropical  and  sub-tropi- 
cal regions.  So  heavy  was  the  waterfall  that  had 
it  been  midday  instead  of  midnight  the  sloop  could 
not  have  been  seen  at  a  hundred  yards'  distance. 
The  wind  was  strong  from  west-northwest,  too, 
about  the  most  favorable  quarter  possible,  and 
Max  was  rapidly  "  making  an  offing  " — as  sailors 
say  when  they  mean  getting  well  away  from 
shore. 

"  I  say,  fellows/'  he  said  to  his  companions, 
"  we'll  have  no  trouble  with  the  blockader  to-night 
unless  we  happen  to  run  into  one  in  the  blackness. 
It's  so  dark  and  the  rain  is  so  heavy  that  I  can't 
even  see  the  mast  yonder  or  the  sail.  Steady  now, 
I'm  going  to  change  course  a  bit.  Haul  in  the 
main  sheet !  "  With  that,  as  the  boys  tugged  at 
the  rope  called  the  main  sheet,  wThich  manages  the 
sail,  he  so  pointed  the  ship  as  to  take  the  wind 
nearly    abeam — that    is    to    say,    nearly  straight 

86 


THE  BATTLE  IN  THE  CREEK 

across  her — and  gave  the  order,  "  Lower  the  cen- 
tre-board ! " 

The  craft  had  heeled  over  so  far  when  the 
course  was  changed,  that  the  rescued  Federal 
soldier  rolled  into  the  starboard  scuppers.  When 
the  centre-board  went  down,  the  ship  recovered 
somewhat,  and  Max  said  to  Billy : 

"You  and  Tibe  look  after  the  poor  fellow  as 
well  as  you  can  in  the  darkness.  Find  out  if  he  is 
seriously  wounded,  won't  you,  or  if  anything  can 
be  done  for  him.  We  simply  can't  show  a  light 
to-night.  We  should  be  chased  and  caught  if  we 
did." 

The  boys  went  to  the  wounded  man  and  found 
him  somewhat  recovered  from  the  shock  of  his 
wetting,  but  quite  seriously  hurt  they  thought. 
Tibe  reported  to  Max  saying : 

"  A  canister  shot  seems  to  have  passed 
through  the  calf  of  his  leg.  No  bones  are  broken, 
Billy  says,  but  the  frightfully  lacerated  leg  is  bleed- 
ing terribly  and  the  man  is  nearly  dead  of  exhaus- 
tion. Billy  is  working  over  him  trying  to  stop 
the  bleeding.  He  knows  more  of  such  things 
than  we  do,  but  he  says  it's  hard  to  find  what  any- 
thing means  in  the  dark." 

"  Tell  him  to  do  his  best,"  was  Max's  order. 
"  We  simply  mustn't  have  a  light  now.  Hello  1 
look  out!" 

87 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

With  that  Max  suddenly  changed  the  course  of 
the  sloop,  and  she  well  nigh  capsized,  as  she  slid 
by  a  blockading  steamer,  within  a  dozen  yards  of 
her. 

"  A  second  more  and  we  should  have  smashed 
our  bow  into  that  ship's  side.  It  was  a  narrow 
escape/' 

Just  then  the  steamer  fired  two  or  three  shots, 
but  the  Sarah  Ann,  speeding  rapidly  in  the  high 
wind,  was  already  lost  in  the  darkness  and  the 
shots  fell  harmless  into  the  sea. 

Billy  reported  that  he  had  succeeded  in  stopping 
the  flow  of  blood,  and  could  do  no  more  without  a 
light. 

"  Well,  you  can't  have  a  light,"  answered  Max. 
"  Even  if  it  were  you  or  Tibe  or  me  that  was 
wounded,  I  wouldn't  allow  a  light.  If  we  should 
show  a  glim  that  steamer  would  trip  her  anchors 
and  be  after  us  at  full  speed  in  ten  seconds.  So 
watch  the  poor  fellow  as  well  as  you  can,  and  in 
the  morning  you  may  be  able  to  do  something  for 
him.  In  the  meantime  I'm  going  to  try  to  be 
under  the  horizon  to  all  the  blockaders  before 
daylight  comes.  That's  why  I  am  laying  this 
course." 

"How  do  you  mean?"  asked  Tibe.  "Isn't 
this  our  proper  course?  " 

"Yes,  and  no,"  Max  answered;   "I'm  sailing 

88 


THE  BATTLE  IN  THE  CREEK 

nearly  due  northeast,  and  that  is  taking  us  rather 
away  from  our  destination,  which  lies  rather  south 
of  southeast.  On  this  course  we  should  go  to  the 
Bermudas,  which  lie  six  hundred  miles  due  east  of 
Cape  Hatteras,  while  we  want  to  go  to  Nassau,  in 
the  Bahamas,  and  that  lies  almost  due  east  of  the 
Cape  of  Florida,  or  about  700  miles  south-south- 
east of  us." 

"But  why  are  you  laying  this  course  then?" 
asked  Tibe. 

"  Because  I've  found  out  the  best  sailing  points 
of  the  Sarah  Ann,  at  least  when  she  hasn't  her  jib, 
and  on  this  course  she  makes  more  knots  an  hour 
than  on  any  other.  My  present  purpose  is  simply 
to  make  all  the  offing  I  can  in  anywise  manage  to 
make  before  daylight.  I  want  to  get  clear  away 
from  the  sight  of  the  blockade  runners  and  if  this 
high  wind  holds  I'll  do  it." 

"What  do  you  reckon  the  wind  at?"  asked 
Billy,  after  he  had  again  examined  his  patient. 

"  Half  a  gale  from  the  west-northwest.  By 
trimming  the  sail  almost  flat  fore  and  aft,  and  lay- 
ing my  course  just  a  trifle  east  of  northeast,  you 
see  I  get  the  wind  between  abeam  and  over  the 
quarter." 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  Tibe,  "  but  you  really  ought 
not  to  fling  nautical  terms  in  that  reckless  way, 
at  a  landlubber  like  me.    What  is  '  abeam p  ?  and 

89 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

what  particular  part  of  the  ship  is  the  4  quarter '  ? 
You  see  I  forgot  to  bring  an  unabridged  diction- 
ary along  in  my  pocket." 

"  Well,  '  abeam  '  means  straight  across  the  ship 
at  right  angles  to  the  keel,"  answered  Max.  "  The 
1  quarter  '  is  the  afterpart  of  the  ship's  side.  When 
the  wind  is  abeam  it  blows  straight  across  the  ship 
from  side  to  side ;  when  it  is  over  or  on  the  quar- 
ter it  is  blowing  diagonally  across  and  forwards. 
Now  that  I've  acted  as  a  substitute  for  your  dic- 
tionary let  me  go  on  with  what  I  was  saying." 

44  Certainly,  I'm  all  attention,"  said  Tibe  with 
mock  humility. 

"  Well  then,"  explained  Max,  "  my  purpose 
being  to  get  as  far  out  to  sea  and  as  far  away 
from  Charleston  as  I  can  before  morning,  I  am 
laying  my  course  with  reference  to  speed  alone, 
and  without  regard  to  the  direction  of  our  ulti- 
mate destination.  I'm  simply  making  all  the 
offing  I  can  while  darkness  lasts." 

44  And  how  fast  do  you  think  the  dear  old  Sairey 
Ann  is  carrying  us  away  from  the  blockading 
squadron?  " 

44 1  don't  know.  We  have  no  log  by  which  to 
test  our  speed;  but  in  this  hard  blow  I  should 
think  we  are  making  six  or  eight  knots  an  hour. 
Still  that's  all  guess  work.  If  I  get  an  observa- 
tion of  the  sun  today,  I'll  be  able  to  tell  you  better. 

90 


THE  BATTLE  IN  THE  CREEK 

Anyhow  I  mean  to  get  across  the  Gulf  Stream  in 
the  quickest  way  possible.  Then  we'll  lay  the 
course  for  Nassau.  It's  coming  on  daylight  now. 
So  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  possible  war  ships." 


9> 


CHAPTER  IX 
The  Prisoner 

NOT  one  of  the  boys  had  slept  for  twenty- 
four  hours  and  the  excitement  of  the 
night's  adventures  had  severely  strained 
their  nervous  systems  of  course.  But  the  feeling 
that  they  had  overcome  the  preliminary  difficulties 
of  their  expedition,  the  thought  that  they  had  suc- 
cessfully worked  their  difficult  way  out  through 
the  blockade,  and  were  now  well  away  at  sea,  filled 
them  with  fresh  buoyancy,  so  that  they  did  not 
miss  the  sleep  they  had  lost. 

"  But  we  are  not  through  with  that  part  of  the 
job  yet,"  said  Max  in  answer  to  some  congratula- 
tory remark  of  Billy's.  "  We're  out  at  sea  of 
course  and  out  of  sight  of  the  blockading  ships. 
But  some  of  them  are  constantly  prowling  about 
out  here,  and  we  shall  not  be  reasonably  safe  till 
we  cross  the  Gulf  Stream." 

"  Tell  us — "  began  Tibe. 

"  No,  I  won't,"  answered  Max.  "  At  least  not 
now.     We've  too  much  to  do.     We've  got  that 

92 


THE  PRISONER 


poor  wounded  fellow  to  look  after;  we've  got  a 
smashed  bowsprit  to  get  in  order;  we've  got  to 
eat  our  breakfast,  and  when  the  sun  comes  up  I've 
got  to  take  an  observation.  It  isn't  light  enough 
yet  for  anything  but  breakfast.  So  bring  out  the 
cold  ham  and  some  ship  biscuit.  We  can't  make 
coffee  in  this  sea."  For  while  the  storm  was  gone 
and  the  skies  were  clearing,  the  wind  was  still 
fresh  and  the  sea  was  running  too  high  to  think  of 
lighting  the  brazier  and  trying  to  make  coffee. 

When  the  ham  came  Max  altered  the  course  of 
the  ship  to  the  east,  and  presently  to  a  point  or 
two  south  of  east,  for  the  wind  had  somewhat 
shifted  and  this  was  now  the  better  course. 

"  Besides  she'll  ride  easier  on  this  course,"  said 
Max  in  further  explanation. 

He  hastily  swallowed  some  of  the  rich  old  ham, 
and  taking  two  hardtack  crackers  in  his  hand,  as 
the  gray  dawn  advanced,  he  relinquished  the  tiller 
to  Billy,  saying : 

11  Here,  Billy,  take  the  helm.  You  see  how  she 
is  pointing  now.  Keep  her  at  that.  But  watch 
your  compass  carefully  and  don't  let  her  vary  two 
points  from  the  course.     I  must  inspect  ship." 

With  that  he  went  forward  to  examine  the  bow- 
sprit. 

"  We  can  patch  that  up,"  he  said  half  to  Tibe 
and  half  to  himself.     Then  he  went  below,  and 

93 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

after  making  a  thorough  search  there  he  an- 
nounced : 

"  She  hasn't  strained  herself  perceptibly.  She's 
a  sturdy  old  tub  if  she  is  ugly  to  look  at.  What 
she  went  through  last  night  might  very  well  have 
put  a  lot  of  water  into  a  much  handsomer  ship's 
hold.  As  it  is  you  can  empty  her  bilge,  Tibe,  by 
ten  minutes'  pumping.     Go  and  do  it." 

At  that  moment  the  sloop  gave  a  sudden  and 
violent  lurch,  going  very  nearly  on  her  beam  ends. 
Both  Max  and  Tibe  were  thrown  prostrate,  and 
for  the  moment  it  seemed  that  the  ship  would 
capsize.  Max  hurried  to  the  helm  calling  out  as 
he  took  it,  "  What  on  earth  did  you  do  to  her, 
Billy?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Billy,  "  or  rather  I  know 
I  didn't  do  anything  to  her.  The  sail  suddenly 
crossed  over  from  one  side  of  the  ship  to  the  other, 
and  the  boom  came  within  an  ace  of  taking  my 
head  off.  That's  what  happened.  Of  course  I 
can't  explain  it." 

"  I  can,"  said  Max,  u  and  it's  only  good  luck 
that  you  didn't  capsize  us,  or  leave  us  without  a 
mast.  Look  after  the  prisoner.  It's  light  enough 
now.     Report  his  condition  to  me." 

It  was  obvious  that  Max  was  angry,  and  his 
anger  was  justified,  for  Billy  had  been  inexcusably 
careless,  and  his  carelessness  had  very  narrowly 

94 


THE  PRISONER 


missed  wrecking  the  vessel.  What  he  had  done 
was  to  let  the  sail  jibe.  That  is  to  say,  with  the 
wind  blowing  from  nearly  astern  and  the  sail 
boom  reaching  out  to  the  starboard,  or  right  side, 
Billy  had  carelessly  let  the  sloop  slew  around  till 
the  wind  caught  the  sail  aback,  and  violently 
slung  it  over  to  the  port  side.  In  such  a  wind  as 
was  then  blowing  this  manoeuvre  would,  four 
times  in  five,  capsize  the  boat  or  break  her  mast 
off  at  the  deck  and  render  her  helpless. 

Max  explained  all  this  to  Billy  after  he  had 
grown  calm  again.  Billy  frankly  admitted  his 
fault  of  inattention,  but  excused  it  by  saying : 

"  The  old  craft  was  bounding  along  in  the  right 
direction,  and  it  never  occurred  to  me  that  she 
would  change  it.  So  I  suppose  I  neglected  to 
study  the  compass." 

"  Don't  you  know,  Billy,  that  it  is  always  the 
tendency  of  a  boat  to  come  around  side  on  to  the 
wind  ?  Did  you  ever  see  a  row  boat  go  adrift  in 
a  wind?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Billy,  "  of  course  I  have.  But 
I  don't  see — " 

"  Well,  did  you  ever  know  a  boat  adrift  to  fail 
to  turn  her  side  to  the  wind?  " 

"  Now  that  I  think  of  it,  no,"  answered  Billy. 

"  Well,  it  is  the  same  with  a  bigger  craft. 
When  you  got  to  mooning  over  some  poetry  or 

95 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

something  of  that  sort,  and  neglected  your  com- 
pass and  your  helm,  the  Sarah  Ann,  sailing  with 
her  boom  to  starboard — simply  obeyed  the  natural 
instinct  of  all  boats.  She  veered  to  starboard  till 
she  presented  her  starboard  side  to  the  wind.  The 
wind  presently  caught  the  sail  aback,  and  slung 
the  boom  violently  over  to  port.  If  the  Sarah 
Ann  had  two  feet  or  even  one  foot  less  of  beam — 
that  is,  were  a  foot  narrower  than  she  is — she 
would  now  be  floating  bottom  up  on  the  sea.  And 
if  I  hadn't  insisted  upon  having  a  new  mast 
stepped  in  her  before  sailing,  there  wouldn't  now 
be  a  stick  on  board.  If  this  sort  of  thing  had 
happened  on  board  a  regular  sailing  ship,  the  cap- 
tain would  have  brained  the  helmsman  with  a  be- 
laying pin.  Let  it  be  a  lesson  to  you.  A  man 
steering  a  ship  should  never  take  his  mind  off 
that  one  thing  for  a  single  second.  He  must 
watch  the  compass  and  the  sails  and  the  direction 
of  the  wind,  which  may  change  at  any  moment. 
His  attention  should  be  ceaselessly  alert." 

'*  I  wish/'  said  Billy,  "  you  had  played  captain 
in  earnest.' ' 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  wish  you'd  knocked  me  down  with  a 
belaying  pin.  I'd  have  enjoyed  that  in  compari- 
son with  the  humiliation  I  feel  for  my  blunder. 
Of  course  I  deserve  your  censure,  and  I  deserve 

96 


THE  PRISONER 


much  worse  than  that.  I  deserve  the  belaying 
pin.  For  now  that  I  have  thought  the  matter 
over,  I  remember  that  you  taught  me  all  this  at 
Bluffton.  But  that  was  in  a  small  boat.  Some- 
how, I  suppose  I  thought  that  a  bigger  ship  would 
behave  better,  just  as  grown  up  people  are  ex- 
pected to  behave  better  than  little  folks.  So  I  let 
my  mind  wander,  and  fell  into  a  mood  of  inatten- 
tive musing.  I  remember  that  I  was  thinking  of 
the  exquisitely  beautiful  dawn  at  sea  after  such  a 
night  of  storm  and  stress  of  other  kinds.  Really, 
Max,  you  failed  in  your  duty  in  not  using  that 
belaying  pin  on  my  head." 

"  I  think  I  did,  Billy/'  was  all  that  Max  an- 
swered. 

All  this  talk  occurred  later  in  the  day,  however. 
When  Max  sent  Billy,  under  censure,  to  look 
after  the  wounded  man,  Billy  very  carefully  ex- 
amined his  wound,  very  thoroughly  washed  it  in 
sea  water  and  very  tenderly  dressed  it.  He  found 
it  less  severe  than  he  had  thought  in  the  night 
when  he  could  judge  only  by  the  extent  of  the 
hemorrhage,  and  he  found  his  patient  a  good 
deal  recovered  from  his  exhaustion,  due  to  shock 
and  loss  of  blood.  He  feared  to  give  him  ham  to 
eat,  lest  it  aggravate  any  tendency  to  inflammation 
that  the  wound  might  develop  a  little  later.  He 
could  not  give  him  condensed  milk  or  a  canned 

97 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

soup,  because  in  1863  these  products  were  not 
known.  Yet  the  poor  fellow  must  have  some- 
thing to  strengthen  him,  something  at  once  nu- 
tritious and  easily  digestible.  After  cudgeling 
his  brains  awhile,  Billy  remembered  that  there 
were  a  dozen  or  twenty  eggs  aboard,  a  gift  to  Max 
from  old  Mammy  Juliet.  He  went  to  Max,  made 
his  report  concerning  the  man's  condition,  and 
asked  if  he  might  give  him  one  or  two  of  the  eggs. 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Max.  "  Boil  them  very 
lightly." 

"  But  how  can  I  boil  them?  " 

"  Why,  over  the  brazier  of  course." 

"  But  in  this  sea — " 

"  You're  not  observant,  Billy.  The  sea  has 
gone  down  and  the  wind  with  it,  unfortunately.  I 
wish  it  would  blow  half  a  gale  from  the  west  for 
twelve  hours  to  come.  But  it  is  blowing  only  a 
lady's  breeze  now  and  the  ship's  motion  is  very 
slight.  So  start  a  little  fire  in  the  brazier,  boil  as 
many  eggs  for  the  poor  fellow  as  he  can  eat,  and 
make  him  a  cup  of  coffee." 

Billy  did  so,  and  after  the  wounded  man  had 
eaten,  his  exhaustion  seemed  to  pass  away,  so  that, 
as  he  sat  there  propped  up  against  the  bulwark,  he 
and  Billy  and  Max  were  able  to  hold  some  little 
conversation.  Tibe  was  forward,  busily  engaged 
in  repairing  the  splintered  bowsprit,  and  so  alter- 

98 


THE  PRISONER 


ing  the  jib  that  it  would  accommodate  itself  to 
new  dimensions.  Tibe  was  full  of  mechanical  in- 
genuity, and  as  soon  as  he  had  taken  a  good  look 
at  the  splintered  spar  and  the  torn  sail  he  had 
seen  how  they  could  be  patched  up  so  as  to  serve 
their  purpose.  He  undertook  the  task  of  putting 
them  in  order,  and  was  now  busy  with  it. 

The  Federal  soldier  proved  to  be  a  rather  hand- 
some young  man,  nineteen  years  of  age  or  about 
that,  bright  eyed,  quick-witted  and  of  very  attrac- 
tive manners. 

"  Captain/'  he  said,  addressing  Max,  "  you  fel- 
lows have  been  very  good  to  me.  I'm  lucky, 
under  the  circumstances,  to  have  been  picked  up 
by  you.  But  let  me  remind  you  that  you  and  I 
are  on  opposite  sides  in  the  war,  and — " 

"  What  of  that  ?  "  asked  Max,  as  he  changed 
the  boat's  course  a  trifle.  u  You  are  wounded  and 
of  course  we  have  no  ill  feeling — " 

"Pardon  me,"  said  the  young  blue-coat,  "  that's 
just  what  I  wanted  to  say.  In  a  fight  I  should  do 
you  all  the  harm  I  could,  and  you'd  do  the  same  to 
me.  And  both  would  be  right.  Each  of  us  owes 
an  unquestioning  service  to  his  own  cause.  But  I 
am  wounded  and  a  prisoner  in  your  hands.  Under 
your  kindly  treatment  I  am  likely  to  grow  better 
very  soon,  and  as  there  are  only  three  of  you,  and 
as  you  must  do  some  sleeping,  I  might  become  a 

99 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

dangerous  person  to  have  on  board  when  I  begin 
to  hobble  about  again.  I  don't  intend  to  be  any- 
thing of  the  kind,  but  you  can't  know  my  inten- 
tions. You  are  kind  to  me,  and  I  don't  want  my 
presence  to  rob  you  of  your  needed  sleep.  Yet 
you  must  throw  me  overboard,  which  would  be  a 
damply  disagreeable  proceeding  to  me,  or  you 
must  tie  me,  which  would  be  very  uncomfortable 
to  me,  or  you  must  guard  me  night  and  day,  which 
would  mean  serious  loss  of  sleep  to  all  three  of 
you,  or  else  you  must  parole  me.  I  quite  under- 
stand that  you  fellows  are  soldiers  and  not  ordi- 
nary blockade  runners  for  profit.  You  are  on 
some  mission  of  importance  to  your  government. 
If  you  leave  me  free  it  will  be  my  duty  as  a  soldier 
to  do  all  I  can  to  thwart  your  mission,  even  if  I 
wreck  the  ship  in  doing  it.  I'm  not  able  to  stand 
now,  but  I  probably  shall  be  in  a  few  days.  I 
don't  want  to  repay  your  kindness  in  saving  my 
life  and  tenderly  caring  for  me  in  any  such  fash- 
ion as  that.     So  why  not  put  me  on  my  parole?  " 

Max  looked  at  the  open-eyed,  manly  fellow  for 
a  moment  and  then  said : 

"  Mehercule !  I'll  do  it !  Give  me  your  hand ! 
Do  you  solemnly  promise,  on  your  honor  as  a  sol- 
dier, that  if  I  give  you  the  liberty  of  the  ship  you 
will  in  no  way  seek  to  interfere  with  our  purposes 
or  make  war  of  any  kind  upon  us,  but  will  con- 

lOO 


THE  PRISONER 


sider  yourself  a  prisoner  of  war  on  parole  until 
exchanged  or  released  ?" 

"  On  my  honor  as  a  soldier,"  answered  the 
young  man,  "  I  swear  that  I  will  keep  absolute 
faith  with  you,  and  that  I  will  not  in  any  way,  or 
under  any  circumstances  do  any  hostile  act  to- 
wards you,  or  in  any  way  seek  to  embarrass  or  in- 
terfere with  your  purposes,  so  long  as  I  remain  on 
board  your  ship !  " 

"  You're  a  good  fellow,  I  think,"  said  Max,  as 
he  relinquished  the  wounded  man's  hand,  "  and 
although  we  are  on  opposite  sides  in  the  war,  and 
although  we  must  fight  each  other  like  men  upon 
all  proper  occasions,  and  although  of  course  you 
cannot  share  or  help  in  our  present  enterprise,  you 
are  to  be  '  one  of  us  '  in  all  other  respects.  And, 
if  we  succeed  in  making  a  neutral  port,  as  we  hope 
to  do,  you'll  cease  to  be  a  prisoner.  I'll  do  what  I 
can  to  procure  transportation  for  you  to  New 
York  or  some  other  Union  port." 

"  He's  fainting !  "  said  Billy.  And  he  threw  a 
handful  of  water  into  the  face  of  the  poor  fellow, 
reviving  him.  Then  he  helped  him  down  the 
diminutive  companion  way,  and  put  him  into  one 
of  the  only  two  bunks  the  little  sloop  could  boast. 


IOI 


CHAPTER  X 
In  the  Gulf  Stream 

THE  storm  had  passed  away,  but  heavy 
banks  of  cloud  still  lingered  on  the  east- 
ern horizon,  so  that  it  was  ten  o'clock  be- 
fore Max  got  a  chance  to  take  an  observation  of 
the  sun.  Then  he  leveled  his  sextant  at  the  hori- 
zon, raised  the  arm  of  it  till  he  caught  the  sun 
flash,  and  called  out  to  Billy,  whom  he  had  set  to 
observe  the  chronometer,  for  the  Greenwich  mean 
time.  Billy  gave  it  to  him  accurately,  for  Billy's 
blunder,  and  his  shame  over  it  had  put  him  into 
a  mood  of  accuracy  and  attention.  Then  Max 
figured  a  little  on  a  bit  of  paper.  Then  he  brought 
out  a  chart  and  made  a  pin  prick  in  it  after  meas- 
uring carefully  with  a  pair  of  compasses  or  divid- 
ers. Then  he  turned  to  the  scale  of  miles  on  the 
edge  of  the  chart,  carefully  adjusted  the  dividers 
and  proceeded  to  measure  off  the  distance  between 
the  pin  prick  and  the  mouth  of  Charleston  harbor. 
Then  he  said : 

"  Well,  I  wouldn't  have  thought  her  capable  of 
it!" 

I02 


IN  THE  GULF  STREAM 

"  What  is  it,  Max?  "  asked  Billy,  who  had  mi- 
nutely, but  not  at  all  understandingly  observed  his 
proceedings.  "  What  is  it  you  wouldn't  have 
thought  ?  and  who  is  the  lady  to  whom  you  refer 
when  you  say  you  wouldn't  have  thought  her  ca- 
pable of  it?" 

"  Why,  the  Sairey  Ann,  as  Tibe  calls  her,  of 
course." 

"  What  has  she  been  doing,  to  her  credit  or  dis- 
credit, that  you  didn't  expect  of  her  ?  M 

"  Why,  since  we  came  out  of  that  creek  after 
midnight  last  night,  she  has  sailed  fifty-four 
knots,  if  my  reckoning  is  correct.  Wait.  I'll  take 
another  observation.  Watch  the  chronometer, 
Billy,  and  when  I  say  '  now/  give  me  the  exact 
time." 

He  brought  the  sextant  again  into  use,  and 
again  made  a  calculation. 

"  It's  all  so,"  he  said.  "  In  nine  or  ten  hours, 
we  have  really  made  fifty-four  knots,  thanks  to  a 
high  wind  in  the  right  quarter  and  to  the  excellent 
gifts  of  the  Sairey  Ann.  Boys,  we'll  be  in  the 
Gulf  Stream  by  noon,  even  with  this  light  wind, 
and  as  the  blockaders  almost  never  go  beyond  that, 
wre'll  feel  that  we  have  really  and  completely  run 
the  blockade."  He  carefully  scanned  the  hori- 
zon with  his  glass,  and  then  added,  "  There  isn't  a 
sail  or  even  a  smoke  wreath  in  sight  on  the  sea." 

103 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"But  what  is  a  knot,  Max?"  asked  Tibe 
u  And  how  far  is  the  Gulf  Stream  from  Charles- 
ton ?" 

"  A  knot/'  answered  Max,  "  is  a  nautical  mile. 
Roughly  speaking,  it  is  about  one  mile  and  one- 
sixth  as  we  measure  miles  on  land.  Now  we  have 
made  fifty-four  knots,  and  that  is  about  sixty- 
three  miles.  The  Gulf  Stream  lies  about  seventy 
miles  east  of  Charleston — though  it  shifts  a  little 
— and  we'll  be  in  it  before  noon." 

"  How  do  you  find  out — " 

"  Tell  us  about  the  Gulf  Stream — "  began 
Max's  companions. 

"  Not  a  word  now.  Not  one  of  us  has  had  a 
wink  of  sleep  for  nearly  thirty  hours,  so  you  two 
are  to  go  to  sleep  at  once.  In  so  light  a  breeze  as 
this  I  can  manage  the  boat  by  myself,  but  you'd 
better  sleep  on  deck,  within  call.  Besides  it  is 
very  warm  and  you'll  sleep  better  here  than  be- 
low. Anyhow  one  of  you  must  sleep  here,  be- 
cause our  prisoner  occupies  one  of  the  bunks  and 
there  are  only  two." 

"  But  Max,"  said  Tibe,  "  why  not  let  one  of  us 
sail  the  boat  and  you  get  some  sleep?  You've 
had  a  rougher  time  than  any  of  us." 

11  That's  my  duty,"  answered  Max.  "  I  shall 
not  go  to  sleep  till  we  are  well  into  the  Gulf 
Stream.    Then  I'll  set  you  fellows  at  work.    So 

104 


IN  THE  GULF  STREAM 

go  to  sleep  now  and  be  ready  for  duty  when  it 
comes." 

The  two  boys  were  ready  enough  for  sleep,  for 
they  were  much  exhausted.  They  rolled  them- 
selves in  their  blankets,  with  their  clothes  still  wet 
from  the  last  night's  drenching,  sought  out  the 
"  soft  spots  on  a  hard  pine  deck,"  as  Billy  said, 
and  were  soon  slumbering  profoundly. 

Max  let  them  sleep  till  three  o'clock.  Then  he 
waked  Billy  and  put  him  at  the  helm. 

"  I'm  going  to  sleep  now,  Billy,"  he  said,  "  and 
I'm  going  to  leave  the  ship  to  you.  You  know 
how  to  do  all  that  is  required,  if  you'll  only  give 
your  mind  to  it." 

"  Thank  you,  Max,  for  trusting  me.  Be  very 
sure  I'll  never  blunder  in  that  way  again." 

"  No,"  answered  Max,  "  I  don't  think  you  will. 
But  equally  you  mustn't  blunder  in  any  other  way. 
You  are  to  hold  this  course,  unless  the  wind  shifts. 
In  that  case  you  are  to  change  course  so  as  to  get 
the  wind  over  the  port  quarter  as  we  are  getting  it 
now.  Of  course  if  it  should  veer  round  to  any 
easterly  quarter  you're  to  wake  me.  Also  if  it 
comes  on  to  blow  hard.  Also  if  you  discover  a 
steamer  anywhere.  These  are  your  orders.  Now 
be  careful." 

"  I  will  be  careful,"  said  Billy,  "  I've  had  my 
lesson." 

105 


- 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

The  wind  held  fair,  increasing  somewhat,  but 
still  remaining  a  safe  wind.  Max  slept  soundly 
until  six  o'clock.  Then  he  went  all  over  the  ship 
again,  minutely  inspecting  everything. 

"  There's  a  little  water  in  the  bilge,  Tibe,"  he 
said  as  he  took  the  tiller.  "  You  and  Billy  go 
to  the  starboard  pump  and  pump  it  out.  Then 
report  and  we'll  have  some  supper." 

"  There's  smoke  off  yonder,"  said  Billy,  "  and 
I  can  see  a  steamer  there  too — or  at  any  rate  the 
upper  works  of  one.  The  rest  of  her  is  below  the 
horizon." 

He  was  scanning  the  sea  with  a  glass. 

"  Give  me  the  glass,"  said  Max,  quickly  taking 
it  out  of  his  hands.  After  a  minute  he  lowered 
the  glass  and  said : 

"  It's  a  Britisher.  She  isn't  after  us.  Now 
we  must  have  some  supper.  Bring  out  the  cold 
victuals,  and  you,  Billy,  concoct  something  for 
our  friend  the  enemy,  and  make  a  pot  of  coffee." 

The  two  boys  proceeded  to  obey  orders.  Tibe 
brought  out  some  of  the  cooked  rations  while 
Billy  made  a  little  charcoal  fire  in  the  brazier, 
over  which  he  made  a  pot  of  coffee  for  the  crew 
and  broiled  some  rashers  of  bacon  for  the 
wounded  man.  It  wasn't  quite  the  diet  a  doctor 
would  have  prescribed,  but  it  was  the  best  that 
Billy  could  do  under  the  circumstances,  and  the 

1 06 


IN  THE  GULF  STREAM 

wounded  man  was  rapidly  regaining  strength,  so 
as  to  need  robust  food.  He  came  on  deck  to  eat 
his  supper  with  the  rest,  and  proved  a  good  com- 
panion. 

"  How  did  you  know  that  was  a  Britisher,  Cap- 
tain, and  not  a  blockader?  "  he  asked  as  he  sipped 
his  coffee.     "  She  wasn't  flying  flags,  was  she?  " 

"  No,  of  course  not,"  answered  Max.  "  But 
her  spars  told  me  all  I  wanted  to  know." 

"  How?  "  asked  Billy  eagerly. 

"  Why,  all  American  ships  have  masts  running 
to  a  point  at  top,  and  not  many  other  ships  have. 
British  ships  have  particularly  blunt  masts.  As 
this  one's  spars  were  not  pointed,  I  knew  she 
wasn't  American.  As  they  were  particularly 
blunt,  I  recognized  her  as  a  British  ship.  But 
that  isn't  all.  She  has  a  foresail  up,  and  it  is 
painted  a  dirty  red.  No  American  ship  paints 
her  sails  that  color.  Usually  American  ships 
don't  paint  their  sails  at  all.  But  the  fogs  in  the 
British  channel  eat  up  sails  like  moths  on  a  piece 
of  broadcloth,  and  so  British  ships  often  paint 
their  sails  with  burnt  umber  to  protect  them.  So 
do  French  ships.  But  now  I'll  tell  you  still  more, 
if  it  interests  you.  I  know  the  name  of  that 
steamer  and  I  know  the  name  of  her  captain. 
She  is  the  Cherokee,  blockade  runner,  and  her  cap- 
tain's name  is  Watkins." 

107 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Now  how  on  earth  did  you  find  out  all  that 
at  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  by  a  minute's  peep 
through  a  glass  that  allows  you  to  use  only  one 
eye?  "  asked  Tibe,  in  astonishment. 

"  Simply  by  paying  attention,"  answered  Max. 

"  But  how?" 

11  Why,  when  I  looked  at  her  I  caught  sight  of 
the  top  of  her  smoke  stack.  The  smoke  stack  is 
painted  a  dull  gray,  as  the  ship  is,  but  just  at  top 
British  self-assertion  shows  itself  in  a  little  red 
stripe  on  the  smoke  stack.  I've  seen  the  Cherokee 
at  Charleston,  and  the  moment  I  saw  that  little  red 
stripe,  I  knew  her.  She's  going  to  run  in  before 
morning,  or  try  to,  and  that's  lucky  for  us." 

"  Why  and  how?  "  asked  Billy. 

"  Why,  because  the  blockaders  will  be  too  busy 
looking  after  her  to  come  out  here  to  bother  us. 
The  Cherokee  is  a  more  tempting  bait  in  their 
eyes  than  the  Sairey  Ann,  and  of  course  they're 
expecting  her." 

"How  so?" 

"  Why,  they  take  pains  to  know  when  to  expect 
her  by  knowing  when  she  sailed." 

"Couldn't  they  catch  her  out  here?"  asked 
Billy. 

"  No.  She's  faster  than  any  of  the  blockaders 
for  one  thing,  and  she's  an  English  ship  for 
another." 

108 


IN  THE  GULF  STREAM 

"  What  has  that  to  do  with  it?  " 

"  Why,  the  blockaders  have  no  right  to  inter- 
fere with  a  British  ship  on  the  high  seas.  That 
would  mean  war  with  England." 

"  But  they  know  she's  going  to  run  the  block- 
ade." 

"  Yes,  they  know  that  to  a  moral  certainty,  but 
until  she  actually  attempts  to  do  it,  they  cannot 
interfere  with  her.  You  see  she  carries  regular 
clearance  papers ;  they  are  made  out  for  '  New 
York  and  a  market.'  That  means  that  her  nom- 
inal destination  is  New  York,  but  that  she  can  go 
to  any  other  port  in  search  of  a  market  for  her 
cargo.  The  authorities  at  Nassau  could  not  clear 
her  for  Charleston,  because  they  have  official  no- 
tice of  the  blockade.  But  if  she  can  manage  to 
slip  into  Charleston  she  has  a  right  to  do  it.  But 
she  tries  that  at  her  peril.  While  she  is  trying  it 
the  blockaders  have  a  perfect  right  to  capture  her 
or  to  blow  her  out  of  the  water  if  they  can." 

"  Then  how  is  it,"  asked  Tibe,  "  that  as  you 
say,  they  might  capture  us  out  here?  " 

"  Why,  simply  because  the  Sairey  Ann  is  a  Con- 
federate craft,  and  the  United  States  are  at  open 
war  with  the  Confederacy.  Their  ships  can  cap- 
ture or  sink  any  Confederate  ship  anywhere  ex- 
cept within  three  miles  of  a  neutral  country.  That 
is  why  the  blockade  runner  Robert  E.  Lee  has  to 

109 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

take  precautions  against  being  captured  at  sea, 
which  the  other  blockade  runners  need  not.  She 
belongs  to  the  Confederate  Government  while  the 
rest  of  them  are  British.  As  we  are  not  British 
but  Confederate  we  might  be  captured  or  de- 
stroyed anywhere  on  the  high  seas.  But  we're 
not  in  much  danger  now,  as  we  are  well  into  the 
Gulf  Stream.  So  after  supper  I'm  going  to  sleep 
for  two  or  three  hours  more  if  this  wind  holds. 
I'll  leave  you  to  sail  the  boat,  Tibe.  You,  Billy, 
had  better  lie  down  near  Tibe  and  be  ready  to 
help  him  if  he  needs  you.  Otherwise  get  some 
sleep.  We'll  all  need  all  the  sleep  we  can  manage 
to  secure." 

Then  Max  gave  Tibe  minute  instructions.  Thj 
wind  was  still  blowing  very  moderately  from  the 
northwest  and  as  Max  was  laying  his  course  to  the 
south-southeast,  he  had  put  her  boom  to  port,  and 
she  was  sailing  very  nearly  before  the  wind.  It 
was  an  easy  course  to  hold  and  Max  felt  entirely 
safe  in  leaving  the  helm  in  Tibe's  comparatively 
inexperienced  hands.  For  while  Max  had  taught 
both  the  boys  all  he  could  about  sailing  a  boat 
down  there  at  Bluffton,  neither  Tibe  nor  Billy  was 
as  yet  very  expert,  and  Tibe  was  less  so  than  Billy. 
So  Max  chose  this  time  of  very  easy  sailing  as  a 
favorable  one  to  put  Tibe  at  the  tiller  and  to  let 
himself  and  Billy  get  some  sleep.     He  bade  Tibe 

I  IO 


IN  THE  GULF  STREAM 

JIM— ^Ml      I        !■■■!  II ' 

hold  the  present  course  so  long  as  the  wind  held 
as  it  was  and  to  wake  him  if  it  changed  its  direc- 
tion much,  or  increased. 

"  One  last  injunction,  Tibe,"  he  said.  "  Take 
no  risks  whatever.  Don't  guess  at  anything. 
Don't  hesitate  to  wake  me  if  you  are  in  doubt 
about  anything,  however  small  a  thing  it  may 
seem  to  be.  •  Remember  how  important  our  mis- 
sion is." 

With  that  Max  rolled  himself  in  his  blanket  and 
lay  down  on  the  deck  about  midships,  with  a  coil 
of  rope  under  his  head  for  a  pillow.  Billy  Boker 
was  already  sprawled  out  at  full  length  and  sound 
asleep,  with  no  pillow  whatever. 


til 


CHAPTER  XI 
The  Prisoner  s  Story 

MAX  slept  soundly  and  refreshingly  till  ten 
o'clock.  Then  after  looking  about  him, 
he  went  below,  lighted  a  diminutive  lan- 
tern and  made  a  thorough  inspection  of  the  ship. 
Before  returning  to  the  deck  he  "  doused  the 
glim,"  which  is  the  sailor  phrase  for  putting  out 
the  light. 

"  What  is  it  you're  looking  for  down  there, 
Max  ? "  asked  Billy  who  had  also  waked  up. 
"  This  is  the  third  time  you've  behaved  in  that 
mysterious  way.     What  are  you  looking  for  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  and  everything,"  answered  Max. 

"  That's  an  ambiguous  answer,"  said  Billy. 

14  Why,  I'm  not  looking  for  anything  in  particu- 
lar, or  expecting  to  find  anything  in  particular. 
I'm  only  looking  to  see  if  anything  is  by  chance 
wrong.  You  see  it  is  the  duty  of  a  ship's  captain 
to  inspect  every  part  of  his  ship  very  carefully  at 
least  three  times  every  twenty- four  hours,  just  to 
make  sure  that  everything  is  right.  I  shall  do 
that  as  long  as  we  are  at  sea." 

112 


THE  PRISONER'S  STORT 

Here  Max  got  out  his  instruments,  and  with 
them  made  some  observations  of  the  North  Star, 
after  which,  by  the  light  of  the  binnacle  lamp  he 
figured  a  little. 

"  What  are  you  doing,  Max?  "  asked  Tibe. 

"  I'm  making  out  the  altitude  of  the  North 
Star." 

"  What  for?  You're  not  going  to  take  us  in 
the  Sairey  Ann  three  millions  of  miles  or  so  to  the 
North  Star,  are  you  ?  " 

"  No,  not  tonight,"  answered  Max.  "  But  I 
want  our  latitude  more  accurately  than  I  could 
get  it  today  from  the  sun.  Now  let  me  take  the 
helm  and  you  two  haul  in  the  main  sheet." 

With  that  he  changed  the  vessel's  course  to  the 
south,  bringing  the  boom  inboard  till  the  sail  was 
trimmed  nearly  flat  fore  and  aft — that  is  to  say 
till  it  ran  almost  straight  along  the  deck,  slanting 
only  enough  to  leave  the  outer, end  of  the  boom 
over  the  port  gunwale.  In  this  way  he  got  the 
wind  nearly  abeam,  and  the  Sairey  Ann  heeled 
over  to  port  and  quickened  her  speed. 

The  night  was  brilliantly  starlit,  more  bril- 
liantly lit  than  any  one  can  conceive  who  has  not 
seen  clear  nights  in  low  latitudes,  where  the  stars 
seem  both  larger  and  more  multitudinous  than 
they  ever  do  farther  north.  The  boys  were  in  no 
mood  for  further  sleeping,  but  strongly  disposed 

"3 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

to  talk.  Even  the  prisoner,  who  was  growing 
strong  again,  asked  permission  to  crawl  out  on 
deck  and  "  help  listen,"  as  he  put  it. 

"  Now  finish  what  you  were  saying,  Max,"  de- 
manded Billy  Boker.     "  We're  nearly  all  ears." 

"  About  what?  "  asked  Max. 

"  Why,  about  your  reasons  for  flirting  with  the 
North  Star  tonight.  Tell  us  all  about  the  thing. 
We  don't  any  of  us  understand  it  unless  our  friend 
the  enemy  here  does — by  the  way,  we  don't  know 
your  name  and  you  don't  seem  '  the  enemy.' 
Would  you  oblige  us  with  a  suggestion  on  that 
point?" 

"  Practically  I  have  no  name,"  said  the  youth 
in  blue.     "  My  name  is  Smith." 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  Tibe,  jumping  up  and 
warmly  grasping  the  young  man's  hand. 
"  Smith?  Your  name  Smith?  Why,  that's  my 
name !  We  must.be  akin — brothers  or  something 
of  that  sort !  There !  What  did  I  tell  you,  Max  ? 
You  see  the  very  first  fellow  we  have  met  since  we 
left  Charleston  is  a  dearly  cherished  member  of 
my  own  family.  Where  are  your  Voxetters  and 
Bokers?" 

Then  turning  to  the  wounded  man,  he  said : 

"  My  full  name  is  Tiberius  Gracchus  Smith. 
What's  the  rest  of  yours,  besides  the  Smith 
part?" 

114 


THE  PRISONER'S  STORT 

"  My  name  is  George/'  answered  the  boy, 
laughing  a  little. 

"  George  Washington?  "  asked  Tibe. 

"  No,  just  plain  George.  As  a  wounded  pris- 
oner in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  I  don't  feel  as 
though  I  should  want  to  call  myself  George 
Washington  if  that  were  my  name,  which  it  is  not. 
But  come,  Captain,  won't  you  explain  about  the 
North  Star  and  latitude  business?  " 

"  No,  not  just  yet,"  answered  Max  with  seri- 
ousness in  every  tone  of  his  voice.  "  That  can 
wait  till  another  time.  Just  now  I  want  you  to 
tell  me,  if  you  will,  about  that  fight  in  the  creek 
— your  side  of  it  I  mean.  What  damage  did  we 
do  with  that  double  charge  of  canister?  " 

"Why,  you  blew  the  boat  into  toothpicks," 
answered  the  youth.  "  I  never  saw  anything  so 
complete  in  my  life." 

"  And  were  all  the  men  killed  but  you?  " 

"  No.  I  think  none  of  them  were  killed.  You 
see  your  people  had  just  withdrawn  from  that 
island,  and  ours  had  just  landed  on  the  lower  end 
of  it.  So  a  number  of  boats  were  sent  out  that 
night  to  explore  the  little  creeks  and  see  how  the 
land  lay — or  the  water  rather,  for  it's  mostly 
water  in  there.  Well,  our  boat  had  just  pushed 
her  nose  out  of  a  little  slough  into  the  creek,  when 
the  sergeant  in  command  saw  the  Sairey  Ann, 

"5 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

and  ordered  us  to  open  fire.  Presently,  by  a  flash 
of  lightning,  he  caught  sight  of  you  aiming  the 
howitzer.  Instantly  he  ordered  us  to  jump  over- 
board and  swim  into  the  marsh  for  our  lives.  Un- 
fortunately I  was  a  little  slow,  and  wasn't  quite 
out  of  the  boat  when  your  canister  struck  her. 
The  range  was  so  short  that  the  canister  shots 
didn't  scatter  much,  but  came  all  in  a  bunch  into 
the  boat,  shivering  her  to  pieces.  I  think  all  the 
other  fellows  got  away,  but  one  of  the  shots  struck 
my  leg,  and  I  think  I  must  have  become  uncon- 
scious for  a  moment.  At  any  rate  the  next  thing 
I  knew  the  Sairey  Ann  was  sailing  almost  over 
me  and  I  called  for  help.  It  was  very  generous 
of  you  to  stop  and  pick  me  up,  for  by  that  time 
that  shore  battery  of  yours  was  pounding  you 
with  shells.  It  was  because  of  your  generosity  in 
that  that  I  asked  you  to  put  me  on  my  parole. 
Otherwise  I  might  have  lain  around  here,  and 
hobbled  about  till  I  found  some  way  of  so  harm- 
ing you  as  to  defeat  your  expedition.  I  didn't 
want  to  feel  myself  obliged  or  at  liberty  to  do 
that  with  generous  enemies  who  had  risked  every- 
thing to  save  my  life/' 

"  You  have  fully  repaid  us,"  answered  Max. 
"  And  I  am  particularly  glad  nobody  was  killed 
by  my  shot." 

"Why?"  asked  the  other.     "It  was  a  shot 

116 


THE  PRISONER'S  STORY 

legitimately  fired  in  war.  And  moreover  we  drew 
it  upon  ourselves  by  opening  fire  first/' 

"  True,"  answered  Max,  "  and  I  am  not  usually 
squeamish  about  such  things.  But  somehow,  now 
that  I  know  you  personally,  I  shouldn't  like  to 
think  I  had  killed  all  your  companions  last  night. 
Anyhow  I  am  glad  I  didn't.  War  is  horrible 
enough  at  best.  One  doesn't  care  to  know  pre- 
cisely the  effect  of  the  shots  he  fires,  even  though 
he  does  fire  them  as  a  matter  of  imperative 
duty." 

"  I  quite  understand  that,"  said  George  Smith, 
meditatively.  "  I  have  a  special  reason  for  it,  for 
my  case  is  rather  unusual.  That's  how  I  came  to 
be  down  on  the  South  Carolina  coast." 

"  If  you  don't  mind,  suppose  you  tell  us  about 
it,"  said  Max.     "  But  not  if  you'd  rather  not." 

"  I  think  I'd  rather  tell  you,"  said  the  boy.  He 
thought  for  a  while,  and  then  resumed : 

"  You  see  I  am  a  Marylander,  and  like  a  good 
many  other  Marylanders,  I  have  a  brother  on 
your  side.  There  is  only  a  year's  difference  in  our 
ages,  and  we've  been  like  twins  all  our  lives.  From 
our  earliest  childhood  we  have  loved  each  other 
far  more  than  brothers  usually  do.  When  the  war 
came  we  differed  in  opinion  for  the  first  time,  and 
as  we  were  both  conscientious  there  was  no  way 
in  which  we  could  come  to  one  mind  except  by 

ii7 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

one  or  the  other  betraying  his  profoundest  con- 
victions of  duty,  and  we  both  agreed  that  that 
should  never  be.  You  see  we  had  been  brought 
up  to  obey  our  consciences  and  to  do  our  duty 
as  we  understood  it,  regardless  of  consequences. 
He  was  profoundly  convinced  that  the  South  was 
right  in  the  war ;  I  was  equally  strong  in  my  con- 
viction that  the  North  was  right,  and  each  of  us 
believed  it  to  be  his  duty  to  fight  for  the  cause 
he  regarded  as  just.  So  my  brother  Jack  went 
South  and  enlisted  in  your  army,  while  I  enlisted 
in  ours.  I  had  so  great  a  dread  of  possibly  meet- 
ing Jack  in  battle,  that  I  went  to  the  West  to  en- 
list. I  served  in  Buell's  army  in  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee  for  a  time,  as  a  cavalry  man,  while  I 
knew  that  Jack  was  serving  in  Virginia.  But  after 
a  while  my  regiment  was  ordered  East  and  set  to 
work  in  Northern  Virginia.  One  day  a  little 
squad  of  us  were  ordered  to  charge  a  Confederate 
picket.  In  the  charge  my  horse  was  shot  and  I 
became  a  dismounted  man  in  the  midst  of  the 
picket.  The  Confederates  had  taken  to  trees  and 
were  fighting  desperately  to  hold  the  post  till  help, 
which  they  knew  to  be  near  at  hand,  should  come. 
I  had  made  up  my  mind  at  the  outset,  that  I  never 
would  be  taken  prisoner,  so  now  that  I  was  dis- 
mounted, I  decided  to  die  where  I  stood.  I  drew 
my  pistols  and  began  firing  at  every  head  I  caught 

118 


THE  PRISONER'S  STORT 

sight  of.  It  didn't  last  more  than  half  a  minute 
I  suppose,  but  it  seemed  a  long  time  to  me.  At 
last  I  decided  to  end  it,  and  with  a  pistol  in  each 
hand  I  charged  upon  a  fellow  who  was  shooting 
at  me  from  behind  a  tree.  He  fired  as  I  made  the 
rush,  but  missed  me,  and  as  he  had  only  an  En- 
field rifle  of  course  he  was  in  my  power,  for  he 
couldn't  load  again  before  I  was  on  him.  Just  as 
I  turned  the  tree,  I  saw  him  face  to  face.  It  was 
my  brother  Jack,  and  in  half  a  second  more  I 
should  have  shot  him.  I  can  never  tell  you  how 
completely  unnerved  I  was.  I  threw  down  the 
pistols  and  decided  to  resist  no  more.  Just  then 
a  large  squad  of  our  cavalry  swept  through  the 
picket  post,  retreating  before  a  much  heavier  force 
of  your  men.  One  of  our  officers,  seeing  me  un- 
horsed, stuck  out  his  hand  and  foot,  after  a  fashion 
that  all  cavalry  men  are  carefully  taught.  I  seized 
the  hand,  put  my  toe  on  the  extended  foot  and 
swung  myself  up  to  the  officer's  crupper.  A  few 
days  later  I  asked  for  a  transfer  into  an  infantry 
regiment  that  was  about  leaving  for  the  Carolina 
coast,  and  I  secured  it.  That's  the  story,  Cap- 
tain." 

Max  could  not  utter  one  word  in  reply.  There 
was  something  hard  and  painful  in  his  throat. 
He  held  out  his  hand  instead  and  pressed  that 
of  the  prisoner.    The  other  boys  did  the  same. 

II9 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

It  is  not  always  necessary  to  speak  in  order  to 
convey  a  generous  thought.  After  a  little  while 
Max  assigned  the  boys  to  their  duty  for  the  night, 
and  there  was  no  more  talking. 


120 


CHAPTER  XII 
Titers  Remarkable  Calculation 

THE  wind  gradually  fell  away  during  the 
night.  Near  morning  it  ceased  entirely, 
except  that  now  and  then  a  diminutive 
puff  of  air  would  cause  the  sail  to  flap  a  trifle. 
There  was  still  a  ground  swell  on  which  caused 
the  sloop  to  roll  uncomfortably,  now  that  she  was 
not  steadied  by  the  draught  of  the  sail.  As  she 
rolled,  from  one  side  to  the  other,  back  and  forth, 
the  boom  began  swinging  to  and  fro  in  a  way 
that  seemed  to  Tibe,  who  was  at  the  helm,  to 
portend  danger  of  some  sort,  though  he  could 
not  guess  what  sort.  Finally  he  waked  Billy  for 
consultation. 

"  Billy/'  he  said,  "  Max  told  us  to  hold  our 
course,  but  to  save  my  life  I  can't  do  it.  There 
isn't  a  breath  of  wind,  and  as  nearly  as  I  can 
make  out  by  the  compass  we're  heading  almost 
due  north  just  now.  I've  wiggled  the  rudder 
every  which  way  but  somehow  I  can't  make  this 
obstinate  old  Sairey  Ann  turn  her  head  in  any 
other  direction." 

121 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Of  course  not,  and  you  perfectly  know  why 
Tibe.  You  know  that  unless  a  boat  has  steerage 
way,  '  wiggling  '  the  rudder  has  no  more  effect 
upon  her  than  wiggling  your  long  ears  would.'' 

"  Willliam  Boker,"  answered  Tibe,  solemnly, 
"  will  you  never  learn  not  to  take  Tiberius  Grac- 
chus Smith  too  seriously  ?  You  know  that  I  know 
how  and  why  a  rudder  steers  a  boat.  Please  don't 
deliver  a  lecture  on  the  subject  at  five  o'clock  in 
the  morning!  That  hour  of  the  day,  as  I  learn 
from  a  popular  song,  is  sacred  to  the  courtship 
of  milkmaids  by  men  with  scythes  over  their 
shoulders.  But  answer  the  question  that  I  waked 
you  up  to  ask.  Hadn't  we  better  lower  that  main- 
sail or  else  lash  the  boom  fast  to  the  rail,  or  some- 
thing? The  way  it  swings  about  as  the  Sairey 
Ann  wallows  in  this  sea,  I'm  seriously  afraid  it 
will  get  hurt,  or  hurt  something." 

"  If  you  ask  my  advice,"  answered  Billy,  "  I 
earnestly  counsel  you  to  wake  Max  and  leave  the 
matter  in  question  to  his  decision." 

But  it  was  not  necessary  to  wake  Max.  That 
young  gentleman  was  sleeping  very  lightly  under 
his  sense  of  responsibility,  and  he  had  been  ob- 
serving the  behavior  of  the  boom  for  several  min- 
utes past.  Presently  he  called  out,  without  raising 
his  head  from  the  coil  of  rope : 

122 


TIBE'S  CALCULATION 

u  Haul  that  boom  in  board  and  lower  away  the 
mainsail.  Then  make  the  boom  fast.  Let  the  jib 
stand.  Make  a  light,  Billy,  and  tell  me  how  the 
barometer  stands."  For  among  the  properties 
that  Max  had  appropriated  in  his  father's  house, 
was  a  barometer,  which  he  had  securely  fastened 
in  the  little  companion  way,  where,  in  daylight  at 
least,  the  man  at  the  helm  could  consult  it  without 
leaving  his  post. 

"  Twenty -nine  and  eight-tenths  inches/'  an- 
swered Billy  after  consulting  the  glass.  Then  he 
went  to  assist  Tibe  in  lowering  the  mainsail  and 
securing  the  boom. 

Max,  meanwhile,  rose,  went  below,  brought  out 
his  sextant  and  again  "  dallied  with  the  North 
Star  "  as  Tibe  described  his  performance. 

"  Well,  what  does  the  North  Star  say  to  your 
advances  this  time?  "  Tibe  asked  when  Max  had 
finished  his  work. 

"  She  reminds  me,"  answered  Max,  falling  in 
with  Tibe's  humor,  "  that  I  started  to  go  some- 
where to  the  south  and  far  away  from  her,  and 
that  I  haven't  been  doing  it." 

"Well?" 

"  Why,  I  find  we  are  still  in  latitude  thirty-two 
degrees,  forty- five  minutes  north,  or  exactly  east 
of  Charleston." 

I23 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  But  how  can  that  be  ?  "  asked  Billy.  "  We've 
sailed  southeast  and  south- southeast  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing,  for  now  these  many  hours.  Why 
haven't  we  made  any  southing?  " 

"  The  Gulf  Stream,"  answered  Max.  "  We've 
not  sailed  in  the  directions  you  have  named,  Billy. 
We  have  only  pointed  in  those  directions.  You 
see  we've  crossed  the  Gulf  Stream  and — " 

"  Have  we?  "  broke  in  Tibe.  "  I  didn't  notice 
it.  Did  we  cross  over  a  bridge  while  I  was 
asleep?  " 

Max  paid  no  attention  to  this  nonsense,  but 
went  on  with  his  explanation. 

"  Mainly  our  course  has  been  east,  with  some 
south  in  it,  but  as  the  Gulf  Stream  runs  north- 
wardly at  a  rate  of  from  two  and  a  third  to  four 
or  five  miles  an  hour,  its  current  has  almost  ex- 
actly neutralized  our  southing,  and  while  we  have 
made  most  excellent  progress  to  the  east,  we  are 
no  farther  south  now  than  when  I  shot  George 
Smith.  Good-morning,  George !  "  to  the  wounded 
man  who  had  come  on  deck  without  his  shirt  to 
ask  one  of  the  boys  to  pour  a  bucket  of  sea  water 
over  his  head  and  shoulders.  On  account  of  his 
wound,  Billy  forbade  him  to  take  a  completer 
bath. 

"  Good-morning,  George!  How  are  you?  And 
how  is  that  trouble  in  your  leg  getting  on  ?  " 

124 


TIBE'S  CALCULATION 

M  The  whole  of  me  feels  very  well  indeed  this 
morning,"  answered  the  boy.  "  As  to  the  leg,  I 
can't  answer  till  Mr.  Boker  examines  it." 

"  Now  look  here,"  said  Billy, pouring  bucketful 
after  bucketful  of  sea  water  over  the  boy's  head 
and  shoulders;  "  I'm  not  Mr.  Boker.  In  the  ad- 
dresses on  the  letters  that  people  are  good  enough 
to  write  to  me,  I  am  '  William  O.  Boker,  Esq.' 
But  among  my  friends  I  am  '  Billy/  and  we've  all 
adopted  you  as  a  friend." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  boy.  "  I'll  call  you  that 
hereafter,  for  certainly  you  fellows  have  been  the 
best  of  friends  to  me." 

When  George  had  replaced  his  upper  garments, 
Billy  carefully  removed  the  bandages  from  his 
wound  and  after  minutely  examining  it  reported 
that  it  was  doing  well,  that  there  was  no  sign  of 
serious  inflammation  perceptible,  and  that  so  far 
as  he  could  judge — he  not  being  a  surgeon — it 
promised  to  heal  satisfactorily !  "  But  it  will  take" 
a  good  deal  of  time,  I  suppose,"  Billy  added. 
"  That  canister  ball  made  a  frightfully  big  hole, 
and  as  I  understand  it,  nature  must  build  up  all 
the  lost  tissues  or  nearly  all,  before  the  thing  heals. 
Anyhow  I  don't  see  anything  the  matter  with  the 
wound  this  morning,  so  I'll  put  on  new  bandages 
and  let  it  go  at  that." 

In  the  meantime  Tibe  had  got  a  sea  breakfast, 

125 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

consisting  of  a  pot  of  coffee,  some  sea  biscuit  and 
some  rashers  of  not  very  palatable  bacon. 

"  What  are  we  going  to  do  now,  Max?  "  asked 
Billy  as  they  sat  at  meal. 

"  Wait  for  a  wind,  and  watch  the  barometer 
very  zealously/'  Max  replied. 

"What's  that  last  for?" 

"  Why,  because  a  calm  like  this  is  apt  to  end 
in  a  sudden  squall,  and  we  must  look  out  for  that. 
The  barometer  is  our  only  weather  picket." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Billy.  "  If  the  mercury 
suddenly  goes  down  it's  '  look  out  for  squalls ! '  " 

"  Yes,  and  still  more  if  it  suddenly  goes  up 
above  the  normal  thirty  inches,"  answered  Max. 

"  What  an  extraordinary  instrument!"  said 
Tibe.  "  Whether  it  rises  or  falls,  it  means  bad 
weather !  How  does  it  tell  you  when  the  weather 
is  going  to  be  good?  Or  does  it  confine  its  at- 
tentions exclusively  to  a  pessimistic  prediction  of 
bad  weather  ?" 

"  Suppose  I  explain  the  thing  to  you,"  said 
Max.  "  You  see  in  making  a  barometer  you  take 
a  long  glass  tube,  closed  at  one  end  and  open  at 
the  other.  You  fill  it  with  mercury,  thus  exclud- 
ing the  air.  Then  you  place  the  open  end  of  it 
in  a  little  reservoir  of  mercury  and  turn  the  tube 
other  end  up.  The  mercury  in  the  tube  would 
instantly  run  down  into  the  reservoir  if  the  air 

126 


TIBES  CALCULATION 

could  get  in  at  the  closed  end,  but  it  cannot.  As 
the  mercury  goes  down  it  leaves  a  vacuum  above. 
When  it  sinks  to  a  point  where  the  weight  of  the 
column  of  mercury  exactly  equals  the  air  pressure 
on  the  mercury  in  the  reservoir  below — which  is 
open  to  the  air  of  course, — the  column  of  mercury 
stops  sinking.  At  the  sea  level  that  point  is  about 
thirty  inches  from  the  mercury  level  in  the  reser- 
voir below.  But  the  atmospheric  pressure  varies 
with  the  weather,  becoming  less  as  rain  threatens, 
and  so  it  cannot  sustain  the . column  of  mercury 
in  the  tube  at  its  normal  height.  The  mercury 
sinks  of  course,  and  you  look  for  rain.  But  when 
a  cyclone  or  hurricane  is  approaching  in  other- 
wise calm  weather,  it  pushes  a  great  wave  of  air 
pressure  before  it,  and  the  mercury  is  suddenly 
forced  up  an  inch  or  so.  When  it  suddenly  jumps 
up  in  that  way,  it  is  high  time  to  take  in  sail  in 
a  hurry.    So  take  a  look  at  the  barometer,  Billy/' 

"  It  stands  about  where  it  did  before/'  the  boy 
called  out  after  he  had  examined  the  glass. 

"  Very  well.  We'll  look  at  it  again  pretty  soon. 
Now  I'm  going  to  take  an  observation/'  for  the 
sun  was  now  well  up  above  the  horizon.  "  Go  to 
the  chronometer,  Billy/' 

After  some  figuring  Max  marked  the  ship's  po- 
sition on  the  map,  with  a  pin  prick,  and  said  : 

"  We  are  well  east  of  the  Gulf  Stream  anyhow, 

127 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

and  when  we  get  a  wind  we'll  lay  our  course  foi 
Nassau." 

"  Was  it  absolutely  necessary  to  cross  the  Gulf 
Stream?  "  asked  Tibe.  "  Couldn't  we  have  sailed 
down  it,  taking  advantage  of  its  current?  " 

"  Yes,  if  we  were  making  for  New  York,"  an- 
swered Max,  "  but  as  we  are  going  the  other  way 
we  couldn't.  You  forget,  Tibe,  that  the  Gulf 
Stream  runs  northwardly,  while  we  want  to  go 
the  other  way." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  forgot  that.  I  always  think  of 
north  as  up,  and  south  as  down,"  said  Tibe. 
"  They  always  make  it  that  way  on  a  map." 

Max  laughed,  and  then  added,  "  You  see  if  we 
had  undertaken  to  sail  southwardly  up  the  Gulf 
Stream,  we  should  have  made  very  little  progress 
indeed,  for  the  current  out  there  is  just  about  equal 
to  the  Sairey  Ann's  sailing  speed  in  a  fair  wind." 

"What  is  the  Gulf  Stream,  anyhow?"  asked 
George. 

"  It  is  a  river  of  warm  water  in  the  ocean.  It 
flows  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico — some  trace  its 
origin  to  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon — northward 
and  eastwardly.  There  are  various  opinions  as  to 
where  it  ends,  for  it  spreads  out  as  it  goes  north, 
till  it  becomes  indistinguishable.  Some  observers 
have  believed  they  could  trace  it  as  far  north  and 
east  as  the  coast  of  Norway." 

128 


TIBE'S  CALCULATION 

"  But  what  causes  it?  "  asked  Tibe.  "  I  never 
did  know.,, 

"  And  probably  you  never  will/1  answered 
Max,  "  for  nobody  else  ever  did.  There  are 
six  or  eight  different  theories  about  it,  all 
of  them  speculative  and  all  of  them  unsatisfac- 
tory." 

"  Would  you  mind  telling  me  how  you  find  out 
where  we  are  with  the  machine  you  call  a  sex- 
tant ?"  asked  George  Smith.  "I  never  was  at 
sea  in  my  life  except  on  the  transport  from  For- 
tress Monroe  to  South  Carolina." 

"  Oh,  no,  not  at  all,"  Max  responded.  "  I  won't 
go  into  details — they  would  be  too  complex — but 

I  think  I  can  make  you  understand  the  principle, 
without  that.     See  here,"  taking  up  the  sextant. 

II  You  see  this  tube  is  a  little  telescope.  Attached 
to  it  is  a  brass  segment  of  a  circle,  carefully 
marked  off  into  minutes  and  seconds  of  the  circle. 
This  arm  moves  easily  along  the  brass  piece.  In 
the  arm  is  a  little  mirror  as  you  see.  Here  on 
the  fixed  part  of  the  instrument  is  another.  These 
mirrors  are  adjusted  with  mathematical  accuracy, 
so  that  if  you  look  through  the  glass  directly  at 
the  horizon  and  move  the  arm,  the  one  mirror 
will  reflect  the  sun  into  the  other  and  thence  into 
your  eye  at  the  exact  moment  when  the  arm 
reaches  the  right  place  on  the  brass  piece  to  indi- 

129 


THE  BALE  MARKED    CIRCLE  X 

cate  the  height  of  the  sun  above  the  horizon.  Then 
by  looking  at  the  brass  sextant  you  see  at  a  glance 
just  how  high  the  sun  is.  That  tells  you  what 
time  it  is  at  the  point  at  which  you  stand.  Your 
chronometer  tells  you  what  time  it  is  at  Green- 
wich in  England.  Subtracting  the  one  from  the 
other,  you  find  how  many  hours,  minutes  and  sec- 
onds there  are  of  difference  between  the  two.  Of 
course  you  know  how  to  work  the  ordinary  arith- 
metical rule  for  converting  time  into  longitude  and 
longitude  into  time?" 

u  Oh,  yes,  of  course/'  answered  all  the  boys  in 
a  breath. 

"  Well,  then,  you  see  how  you  work  out  your 
longitude  by  an  observation  of  the  sun.  The  pro- 
cess of  getting  your  latitude  from  the  sun  is  rather 
more  difficult,  but  Til  explain  that  some  other 
time.  The  easiest  way  to  get  the  latitude  in  the 
northern  hemisphere,  is  to  take  an  observation 
of  the  North  Star.  The  altitude  of  that  above  the 
horizon  is  almost  exactly  your  latitude — not  ex- 
actly because  the  North  Star  is  not  exactly  at  the 
celestial  pole,  but  is  very  near  it.  Astronomers 
make  careful  allowance  for  that  difference,  but 
ordinary  ship  masters  accept  the  pole  star  altitude 
as  near  enough  right  for  their  purposes.  You  can 
also  get  the  latitude  from  any  fixed  star,  but  wc 
won't  go  into  that  now." 

130 


TIBES  CALCULATION 

"  Td  like  to  try  that  operation,  Max/'  said  Tibe 
"  I  believe  I  could  do  it" 

"  All  right.  Suppose  you  try  it.  Til  give  you 
the  latitude — in  fact  you  know  it  already.  It  is 
thirty-two  degrees,  forty-five  minutes,  north.  Now 
take  the  sextant  and  see  if  you  can  work  out  the 
position  of  the  ship." 

Tibe  took  his  observation,  Billy  giving  him 
chronometer  time.  Tibe  figured  for  a  while  and 
then  called  out : 

"  I  make  it  76  degrees,  24  minutes  east  longi- 
tude.    Isn't  that  about  right?  " 

"  Well,  if  it  is,"  answered  Max,  "  the  Sairey 
Ann  is  the  most  remarkable  sailer  I  ever  heard 
of." 

"How  so?" 

"  Why,  if  your  reckoning  is  correct  she  has  in 
less  than  two  days'  time  sailed  across  the  Atlantic, 
through  the  Mediterranean  and  overland  to  Cen- 
tral Asia,  and  moreover,  instead  of  being  about 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  where  we  are,  it  is  in 
fact  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  It's  wonderful 
how  much  one  learns  from  a  scientific  calculation 
— sometimes." 

Tibe  went  over  his  calculation  again,  and,  with 
a  puzzled  look,  slowly  said : 

"  It  does  beat  all,  but  I  did  the  sum  right,  and 
figures  won't  lie." 

I3I 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Oh,  yes,  they  will  if  you  treat  them  badly  as 
you've  been  doing/'  answered  Max. 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  You  haven't  even 
looked  at  the  paper." 

11 1  don't  need  to.  I  know,  without  looking, 
what  your  error  is.  You  have  added  our  actual 
time  to  the  Greenwich  time,  as  indicated  by  the 
chronometer,  when  you  should  have  subtracted 
it  instead.  That  makes  an  error  of  just  twice  the 
difference  between  Greenwich  time  and  ours,  and 
flops  the  Sairey  Ann  to  a  point  as  far  east  of 
Greenwich  as  she  ought  to  be  west  of  that 
meridian." 

The  boys  laughed  heartily  at  Tibe,  but  Tibe 
knew  how  to  take  a  laugh,  and  by  himself  making 
jests  about  his  own  error,  he  avoided  their  teas- 
ing. Better  still  he  resolved  to  try  the  experiment 
every  day  until  he  should  learn  how  to  work  out 
the  ship's  position  correctly.  Max  was  glad 
enough  to  help  him  and  long  before  the  voyage 
was  over,  he  could  calculate  both  latitude  and 
longitude  almost  as  well  as  Max  himself  could 
do  it. 


132 


CHAPTER   XIII 
Windward  Work 

ABOUT  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  Max, 
whose  companions  thought  him  asleep,  as 
he  lay  there  flat  on  his  back  on  the  deck, 
called  out : 

"  Hello,  here's  a  breeze.  Hoist  the  mainsail, 
boys."  With  that  he  sprang  up,  went  to  the  tiller 
and  observed  the  compass  bearings. 

"  It  is  a  breeze,"  said  Billy,  "  but  it's  certainly 
a  very  little  one,  so  small  that  I  didn't  observe  it 
till  Max  formally  announced  its  presence." 

"  It  will  grow  up  presently,"  said  Max,  "  and 
by  ill  luck  it  is  coming  nearly  straight  out  of  the 
south -southeast." 

"  May  I  ask,  Captain,"  said  George  Smith, 
"  why  you  regard  that  as  unfortunate?  " 

11  Why,  south -southeast  is  our  course — the  di- 
rection we  want  to  go,  so  that  this  is  a  direct  head 
wind,  and  it's  going  to  blow  up  strong  presently, 
the  barometer  says.  Never  mind.  We  shall  now 
see  what  the  Sairey  Ann  can  do  in  windward 
work." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  can  sail  in  the  direction 

*33 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  ■  — ^— 1  II       II  II    III      ||  I— —— —^ 

from  which  the  wind  is  coming?  "  asked  George 
who  knew  nothing  whatever  of  sailing. 

"  Yes  and  no,"  answered  Max.  "  Of  course,  I 
can't  sail  straight  into  the  wind,  but  by  sailing 
a  little  slantwise  we  can  make  headway  in  a  direc- 
tion— wait  a  bit  and  I'll  try  to  explain  it.  Haul 
the  boom  over  to  port,  boys.  There.  Now  haul 
in  the  main  sheet  till  the  boom  rests  over  the  rail." 

The  breeze  was  growing  stronger  by  this  time, 
the  sail  filled,  the  sloop  heeled  over  a  little  to 
port,  and  began  to  forge  ahead. 

"  Now,"  said  Max,  "  you  see,  George,  the  wind 
is  coming  out  of  the  south-southeast,  but  by  point- 
ing the  ship's  nose  to  the  east  of  southeast,  and 
trimming  the  sail  nearly  fore  and  aft,  we  can 
make  headway,  not  straight  toward  the  wind,  but 
in  that  general  direction.  After  a  while  I  shall  go 
about  and  take  the  other  tack  pointing  southwest 
or  about  that.  In  that  way  we  shall  regain  what 
we  have  lost  by  sailing  too  much  to  the  east.  Af- 
ter a  while  again  I  shall  change  back  to  my  pres- 
ent course  and  so  on  as  long  as  the  wind  blows 
from  its  present  quarter.  Zig-zagging  in  that 
way,  we  shall  all  the  time  be  making  more  or  less 
headway  on  our  destined  course.  We  call  that 
1  tacking '  or  '  beating  to  windward/  or  '  sailing 
on  the  wind/  " 

George  looked  and  thought  for  a  time,  waiting 

*34 


WINDWARD  WORK 


till  Max  should  "  go  about  " — that  is  to  say 
change  from  his  present  course  to  a  southwesterly 
one — before  asking  further  questions.  He  ob- 
served the  behavior  of  the  ship  very  closely  as 
Max  at  last  brought  her  head  up  to  the  wind.  He 
saw  the  boom  swing  inboard  and  the  sail  flap  idly. 
As  the  ship  went  a  little  further  about,  the  wind 
caught  the  sail  on  the  opposite  side,  filled  it,  and 
then,  heeling  over  to  starboard,  the  sloop  began 
again  to  forge  rapidly  ahead. 

"  We  call  that  '  going  about/  "  explained  Max 
to  the  interested  George.  "  You  see  when  I 
brought  her  head  straight  up  into  the  wind  the 
sail  lost  all  its  wind  and  simply  fluttered.  We 
call  that  '  going  in  stays.'  But  the  boat  still  had 
headway  enough  for  steerage,  and  by  the  use  of 
the  tiller,  I  carried  her  head  further  over  to  the 
west  until  the  sail  caught  the  wind  on  the  port 
side,  and  filled  again." 

"  That's  very  clear  to  me  now,"  said  the  boy  in 
blue,  "  but  there's  one  thing  I  don't  understand. 
How  does  the  wind,  blowing  from  the  side, 
against  a  sail,  push  the  boat  forward?  I  should 
think  it  would  drive  her  to  the  side." 

"  Perhaps  I  can  explain  that.  When  the  wind 
pushes  the  boat  sideways  or  nearly  so,  the  re- 
sistance of  the  water  against  her  hull  and  centre- 
board, if  she  has  a  centre-board,  constitutes  an 

135 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

opposing  force,  and  if  the  two  forces  are  properly 
adjusted  and  the  boat  is  properly  shaped,  the  com- 
bination of  the  two  drives  her  forward.  Of  course 
she  pays  off  a  good  deal  at  best — I  mean  she  slips 
over  to  leeward — towards  the  side  opposite  the 
wind, — and  so  she  does  not  sail  really  quite  in 
the  direction  in  which  her  head  is  pointing.  If 
this  boat  had  no  centre-board  she  wouldn't  beat  up 
at  all.  She'd  simply  drift  sidewise  and  backward. 
That's  because  she  sits  very  shallow  in  the  water, 
so  that  her  sides  and  bow  do  not  offer  enough  re- 
sistance for  beating.  That  is  why  she  carries  a 
centre-board." 

By  this  time  the  wind  had  risen  sharply,  and 
the  water  was  rushing  with  a  hiss  along  the  boat's 
sides. 

"  Even  with  her  centre-board,"  added  Max, 
"  she  doesn't  beat  very  well,  and  we're  making 
very  little  headway." 

"  Why,  she  seems  to  be  sailing  extremely  fast," 
said  the  boy,  "  faster  I  should  think  than  at  any 
time  since  we  started." 

"  Seems  to  be,  yes.  Yet  she  is  making  very 
little  progress  in  the  direction  we  want  to  go.  You 
see  she  doesn't  point  up  well,  and  she  pays  off  a 
good  deal.  So  that  while  her  actual  speed  is  great, 
most  of  it  is  lost  or  neutralized  by  her  slipping  to 
leeward." 

136 


WINDWARD  WORK 


"  What  is  '  pointing  up '  ?  "  asked  George,  who 
seemed  interested  in  the  art  of  sailing  and  anxious 
to  learn  what  he  could  of  it. 

"  Why,  you  see,  when  sailing  on  the  wind  we 
want  as  much  as  possible  of  our  headway  to  be 
in  the  direction  from  which  the  wind  is  coming. 
So  we  point  the  ship's  head  as  nearly  as  we  can 
toward  the  wind  without  losing  the  force  of  the 
wind  on  the  sail.  If  the  luff,  or  inner  edge  of  the 
sail,  the  edge  nearest  the  mast,  begins  to  tremble, 
we  know  that  we  are  pointing  up  too  much,  and 
thereby  losing  the  force  of  the  wind.  In  that  case, 
we  let  her  go  off  a  trifle  till  the  sail  stands  quite 
steady.  Now  some  boats  can  be  pointed  up  much 
closer  than  others,  and  they  of  course  make  greater 
progress  into  the  wind." 

"  Why  is  that,  Max?  "  asked  Billy.  "  I've  no- 
ticed the  difference  in  that  respect  in  our  sailboats 
at  Bluffton,  but  I  never  understood  the  reason." 

"  It  is  due  to  the  model,  or  shape  of  the  boat. 
The  Sairey  Ann  was  not  built  for  a  racing  yacht, 
and  she  points  rather  badly.  Here,  Billy,  you  and 
Tibe  come  to  the  tiller.  I  must  take  an  observa- 
tion before  sunset  to  find  out  how  far  east  of 
Chinese  Thibet  we've  managed  to  get  by  this 
time." 

"  Oh,"  answered  Tibe  good  naturedly,  "  you 
needn't  imagine  that  you  can  get  any  such  sailing 

l37 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

out  of  the  Sairey  Ann  as  I  did,  although  you  were 
brought  up  to  the  business^  It  takes  a  genuine 
landlubber  to  do  that." 

"  I  should  think  it  did,"  said  Max  as  he  leveled 
his  glass  at  the  horizon." 

After  a  rather  long  calculation,  Max  said : 

"  I  apologize  to  the  Sairey  Ann.  Her  wind- 
ward work  is  much  better  than  I  imagined." 
Looking  at  his  watch  he  added,  "  In  less  than 
three  hours  she  has  made  nearly  seven  miles  of 
southing  to  two  miles  of  easting.  That  is  to  say 
if  I  have  the  latitude  correctly.  Til  test  that  when 
the  stars  come  out.  I  didn't  think  she  could  do 
it  even  in  the  stiff  wind  we've  had.  It  is  going 
down  with  the  sun,  however,  and  we  shaVt  get 
much  out  of  her  tonight.  I  hoped  it  would  hold, 
but  I  didn't  much  expect  it.  In  weather  like  this 
the  wind  usually  goes  down  with  the  sun.  Fortu- 
nately it  is  apt  to  come  up  with  it  also." 

"Why  is  that?"  asked  Billy. 

"  Now  you've  asked  a  question  that  I  fear  I 
am  not  learned  enough  to  answer,"  said  Max. 
"  It  is  an  observed  fact,  however,  not  only  at  sea, 
but  on  inland  lakes  as  well.  Heat  and  cold  have 
something  to  do  with  it  I  believe,  but  I  really  do 
not  understand  such  explanations  as  I  have 
heard." 

138 


WINDWARD  WORK 


"  Hello !  "  he  added  presently,  observing  the 
compass,  "  that's  good  luck  anyhow." 

"  What  is?  "  asked  Tibe.  "  Max,  you're  under 
obligations  to  inform  us  of  every  piece  of  good 
luck  that  befalls  us,  lest  we  should  not  notice  it. 
We're  sure  to  observe  all  the  bad  luck  that  comes 
aboard.    So  tell  us  what  the  good  luck  is." 

"  Well,  now  suppose  you  come  here  to  the  tiller 
and  with  the  aid  of  the  compass  see  if  you  can't 
work  out  the  answer  to  your  question  for  your- 
self," said  Max;  "  but  first  haul  in  the  main  sheet 
a  little  more  and  trim  her  nearly  flat  fore  and  aft." 

Tibe  obeyed  and  after  a  while  he  said: 

"  I  begin  to  suspect  myself  of  a  glimmering 
idea  of  what  you  mean.  The  wind  is  shifting 
to  the  west." 

"  There  isn't  any  Central  Asia  in  that  calcula- 
tion," said  Max,  laughing  a  little.  "  The  wind  is 
steadily  working  around  to  the  westward,  and  if 
we  get  it  due  west  or  from  any  point  north  of 
west,  we  shall  have  no  more  windward  work  for 
this  time,  and  the  Sairey  Ann  will  make  more 
knots  ahead  in  an  hour  than  she  could  in  three  the 
other  way.  Now  I'll  take  the  helm  again  while 
you  and  Billy  get  supper.  We  can't  make  coffee 
in  this  sea,"  he  said,  for  the  ship  was  rolling  and 
pitching  a  good  deal. 

*39 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  I  think  I  can,"  said  Tibe,  "  if  you'll  let  me 
try." 

"  I  think  you  can't,"  answered  Max,  "  without 
spilling  your  pot  and  perhaps  scalding  yourself." 

"  But  I  have  worked  out  a  plan,  and  anyhow 
I'd  like  to  try  it." 

"  Oh,  very  well,  try  it,  but  look  out  and  don't 
scald  yourself.  We  don't  want  another  helpless 
man  on  board." 

"  I'll  be  very  careful,"  said  Tibe,  "  and  you  will 
be  admiringly  grateful  when  I  present  you  with 
the  proof  of  my  genius,  in  the  form  of  a  cup  of 
steaming  hot  coffee  for  your  supper." 

With  that  Tibe  went  below,  mixed  the  coffee, 
put  it  in  the  coffee  pot  and  set  it  aside  while  he 
kindled  a  little  charcoal  fire  in  the  brazier.  This 
was  nothing  more  than  a  tinsmith's  fire  pot,  with  a 
bail  like  that  of  a  bucket,  by  which  to  carry  it 
about.  To  this  he  securely  fastened  a  stout  bit 
of  cord,  and  coming  on  deck  again,  he  swung  the 
fire  pot  to  the  boom,  a  foot  or  two  from  the  mast. 
This  left  it  free  to  hold  its  perpendicular  pretty 
well,  despite  the  motion  of  the  ship;  and  Tibe 
managed  to  make  a  pot  of  coffee  and  to  fry  a 
large  panful  of  salt  pork  "  just  as  a  change  from 
the  bacon,"  he  said. 

"  Where  did  you  learn  that  trick,  Tibe?  "  asked 
Max.    "  It  strikes  me  as  very  clever." 

140 


WINDWARD  WORK 


"  I  didn't  learn  it  at  all,"  answered  the  tall  boy. 
"  I  just  thought  it  out  for  myself." 

"  All  the  more  then,"  said  Max  as  he  drank 
his  coffee,  "  is  my  gratitude  mingled  with  admira- 
tion, as  you  predicted  that  it  would  be." 

"  Til  tell  you  what  it  is,  Max,"  said  Billy  Boker, 
"  we've  got  a  man  of  genius  aboard.  For  any 
man  who  can  sail  the  ship  six  thousand  miles, 
partly  overland  in  less  than  two  days,  and  then 
cook  a  hot  supper,  with  coffee,  in  a  sea  like  this, 
is  to  my  mind  a  Shakespeare,  an  Isaac  Newton 
and  a  Ben  Franklin  all  in  one." 

"  Good! "  shouted  Tibe,  for  at  that  instant  the 
ship  gave  a  specially  heavy  lurch  to  leeward,  up- 
setting Billy  from  his  seat  on  the  companion  way 
hatch,  and  spilling  about  half  his  pint  of  coffee 
into  his  bosom  and  lap.  "  That's  what  you  get 
for  making  fun  of  a  poor,  feeble  minded  fellow. 
Didn't  they  teach  you  when  you  were  little — well 
never  mind,  you're  little  yet.  So  let  me  give  you 
some  more  coffee." 

The  wind  was  now  no  more  than  a  stiff  sailing 
breeze,  and  as  it  had  come  round  to  the  west, 
Max  laid  his  course  south  -  southeast,  with  the 
boom  out  to  port,  and  took  the  wind  over  the  star- 
board quarter — about  the  best  direction  from 
which  it  could  come  for  his  purposes. 

When  the  stars  came  out  Max  took  an  observa- 


141 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

tion  for  latitude,  confirming  his  reckoning,  and 
expressed  himself  satisfied  with  the  performance 
of  the  Sairey  Ann. 

"  If  this  wind  would  only  hold  in  this  quarter, 
boys,  we'd  be  at  Nassau  in  five  or  six  days,"  he 
said,  as  he  lolled  on  deck  with  his  head  and  shoul- 
ders resting  against  the  bulwark. 

"  How  far  is  it  from  where  we  are  ?  "  asked 
one. 

"  About  six  hundred  miles,  and  we  are  making, 
I  should  say,  about  five  or  six  miles  an  hour  now 
or  nearly  that — say  about  a  hundred  miles  a  day 
or  perhaps  a  little  more.  But  of  course  all  such 
reckoning  is  futile." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  it  rests  upon  the  uncertain  and  very 
improbable  presumption  that  we  shall  keep  a  wind 
like  this  from  a  favorable  quarter  for  six  consecu- 
tive days,  and  pretty  certainly  we  shall  have  no 
such  extraordinary  luck  as  that.  We  are  liable 
to  head  winds,  storms,  squalls  and  calms.  So  if 
we  get  to  our  destination  before  I  wake,  let  me 
know.  Hold  the  course,  and  be  watchful.  I'm 
going  to  sleep  awhile." 


14a 


CHAPTER   XIV 
The  Behavior  of  the  Sairey  Ann 

ALL  night  long  the  wind  held  fair,  a  stiff 
sailing  breeze  from  the  west.  About 
sunrise,  as  Max  had  anticipated,  it 
shifted  to  a  point  a  little  farther  north  and  rose  to 
half  a  gale. 

"  It  is  from  the  right  direction,  fellows,  and  the 
Sairey  Ann  likes  it.  If  it  holds  in  this  way  we'll 
make  a  good  deal  more  than  our  hundred  miles 
today.  But  I  don't  know " — doubtfully  and 
scanning  the  sky  and  the  sea. 

"  What  is  it  you  fear,  Max?  "  asked  Billy. 

"  Nothing.  I  never  allow  myself  to  fear  any- 
thing.   It  doesn't  become  a  man  to  fear." 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  mean  that  you  were  scared.  You 
never  were  in  your  life,  I  think.  I  used  the  word 
fear  in  the  other  sense,  as  when  we  say  '  I  fear 
it's  going  to  be  very  warm '  today.  But  what  is 
it  that  you — let  us  say — apprehend?  " 

Max  did  not  answer  at  the  moment.  Presently 
he  gave  the  order : 

"  Take  a  reef  in  the  mainsail,"  and  with  that 

H3 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

he  changed  the  boat's  course  slightly,  so  as  to 
ease  her  up  a  trifle — that  is  to  say,  so  as  to  take 
the  wind  a  little  less  directly  on  the  sail. 

There  were  four  rows  of  reef  points  fastened  to 
the  sail,  the  rows  running  across  it  and  the  points 
hanging  down.  By  tying  two  of  these  rows  of 
points  together  and  drawing  what  Tibe  called  their 
"  roots  "  close  together,  the  boys  shortened  the  sail 
by  exactly  the  distance  between  the  two  rows.  At 
the  same  time  of  course  they  lowered  the  top  of 
the  sail  by  the  same  amount.  Meanwhile  both  the 
wind  and  sea  were  rising,  and  Max,  at  the  helm, 
anxiously  watched  the  behavior  of  the  boat.  This 
continued  for  an  hour  perhaps,  the  wind  steadily 
increasing. 

There  was  no  talking,  of  course.  The  boys  saw 
that  the  work  of  navigating  the  ship  was  absorb- 
ing quite  all  of  their  captain's  attention,  and  as 
for  themselves  it  required  alertness  to  keep  from 
being  hurled  to  the  deck  or  washed  overboard  by 
the  waves  that  now  and  then  came  aboard. 

"  Close  the  companion  hatch  and  make  it 
fast !  "  commanded  Max.  When  they  had  ac- 
complished that  he  said : 

"  Inspect  the  lashings  of  the  bale  marked  Circle 
X,  and  see  that  they  are  secure.' ' 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  he  spoke  again. 

"  Take  a  line  and  lash  George  Smith  securely 

144 


BEHAVIOR  OF  THE  SAIRET  ANN 

to  the  bulwarks  amidships.  You  see  after  all, 
George,  I've  got  to  tie  you." 

"What  for,  Captain ?" 

11  For  safety.  We're  in  for  a  big  blow  and  a 
tremendous  sea,  and  crippled  as  you  are,  you 
might  be  washed  overboard,  or  get  your  bones 
broken  on  deck.  Look  out  for  yourselves,  boys, 
and  be  very  careful." 

All  was  silence  again  for  a  time.  The  wind 
grew  continually  fiercer,  and  Max  was  all  atten- 
tion to  his  difficult  task  of  navigating  the  ship  in 
what  was  now  a  whole  gale  from  the  northwest. 
At  last  he  commanded : 

M  Take  another  reef  in  the  mainsail.  Be  care- 
ful in  doing  it,  or  you  may  drop  over- 
board." 

It  was  a  difficult  task  for  the  untrained  boys  to 
accomplish,  but  after  a  hard  struggle  they  achieved 
it.  The  sloop  was  now  pitching  and  rolling 
mightily  and  seemed  like  a  chip  or  cork,  nearly 
helpless  on  the  angry  surface  of  the  sea.  But  she 
was  not  helpless,  and  Max  was  steadfastly  hold- 
ing her  to  her  work,  so  that  she  seemed  to  be 
rushing  at  railroad  speed  through  the  surging 
waters.  The  boys  were  delighted  with  the  new 
and  wild  experience,  none  of  them  having  ever 
before  been  at  sea  in  a  gale.  Max,  with  brows 
knitted  and  lips  almost  painfully  compressed,  was 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

giving  no  attention  to  anything  but  his  difficult 
work. 

Presently  the  boys  observed  a  marked  change 
in  the  boat's  behavior.  Searching  for  the  cause, 
Billy  saw,  and  called  Tibe's  attention  to  the  fact 
that  instead  of  sailing  before  the  wind,  she  was 
sailing,  close  hauled  on  the  wind. 

"  The  wind  has  gone  clear  around,"  he  said, 
"  and  we're  beating  up  against  it" 

"  Take  a  squint  at  the  compass,  Billy,"  said 
Max  quietly. 

Billy  did  so  and  cried  out,  "  Why,  we  are  sail- 
ing almost  due  north." 

"  Yes,"  said  Max,  "  I  changed  the  course  nearly 
half  an  hour  ago,  but  you  didn't  observe  it.  That 
was  bad  seamanship  on  your  part.  At  sea  you  must 
observe  everything  that  happens,  particularly  in 
a  gale  of  wind." 

The  boys  felt  guilty,  for  Max  had  often  warned 
them  against  inattention  as  a  very  dangerous  thing 
at  sea.  So  they  said  nothing  for  the  next  two 
hours.  At  the  end  of  that  time  the  wrinkles  be- 
tween Max's  eyes  disappeared,  his  lips,  which  had 
been  so  closely  pressed  together  that  the  color  had 
gone  out  of  them,  relaxed,  and  with  a  smile  he 
said: 

"  The  gale  will  go  down  presently." 

"  Why  do  you  think  so?  "  asked  George  Smith 

146 


BEHAVIOR  OF  THE  SAIRETANN 

from  his  seat  on  the  deck  where  he  had  been  se- 
curely lashed  to  the  bulwark. 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Max. 

"But  how?" 

"  By  the  barometer.  The  mercury  is  rising, 
and  the  gale  is  already  diminishing  in  force.  Go 
to  the  pumps,  boys,  and  see  if  there's  any  water 
in  the  bilge.  She  may  have  been  strained  a  bit  in 
this  tussle." 

By  the  time  that  the  pumps  ceased  to  draw,  the 
wind  had  gone  down  to  a  stiff  sailing  breeze,  but 
Max  did  not  bring  the  boat  back  to  her  course. 
Observing  this  Billy  ventured  to  say : 

"  Max,  you  haven't  yet  answered  the  question 
that  I  wanted  to  ask  an  hour  or  so  ago." 

"  What  was  it  ?  I  don't  remember  that  you 
asked  any  question." 

"  I  didn't.  I  was  afraid  of  the  belaying  pin 
treatment.  But  I  wanted  to  ask,  simply  in  aid 
of  my  instruction  as  a  sailor,  why  you  changed 
course  to  the  north." 

"  Because  I  was  '  afraid '  as  you  put  it,  of  a 
following  wave.  You  see  the  bow  of  a  boat  is 
made  to  breast  seas  and  ride  over  them.  The 
stern  is  differently  constructed.  A  following 
wave  is  one  that  comes  from  behind,  and  in  a  sea 
like  this  such  waves  are  very  apt  to  come  aboard 
over  the  stern — sometimes  with  force  enough  and 

H7 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

weight  enough  to  crush  the  deck.  In  fact  a  fol- 
lowing wave  is  one  of  the  very  worst  dangers  that 
a  ship  can  encounter.  I  held  my  course  nearly 
before  the  wind  till  the  sea  rose  so  high  as  to 
threaten  us  in  that  way ;  then  I  brought  the  ship's 
head  around  to  the  wind  and  I  shall  hold  her  there 
till  the  sea  goes  down  somewhat,  which  it  will  do 
in  an  hour  or  so,  now  that  the  wind  has  abated.,, 

"  Then  we're  sailing  back  over  our  course  and 
losing  all  the  southing  that  the  Sairey  Ann  made 
by  her  splendid  sailing  last  night  and  today!" 
said  Tibe  in  disappointed  accents. 

"  Not  at  all,"  answered  Max.  "  We  are  mak- 
ing very  little  more  than  steerage  way  on  this 
course,  and  you  see  I  am  keeping  the  sail  reefed 
down  close,  so  as  to  make  as  little  way  as  possible 
while  we're  headed  wrong.  In  an  hour  or  less 
I'll  take  out  the  reefs  and  change  course.  Mean- 
time take  the  helm  one  of  you,  and  let's  see  where 
we  are." 

Max's  observation  of  the  sun  showed  that  the 
Sairey  Ann  had  made  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  to  the  south -southeast  since  the  morning 
before  and  the  boys  were  satisfied. 

"  The  Sairey  Ann  is  behaving  so  beautifully," 
said  Tibe,  "  that  I'm  almost  sorry  I  nicknamed 
her." 

"  That's  true  enough,"  said  Billy,  reflectively. 

148 


BEHAVIOR  OF  THE  SAIRET  ANN 

"  But  after  all  the  Sairey  Ann  has  had  no  choice 
but  to  behave  well.  It  was  Max  who  behaved  well 
But  for  his  skill,  sagacity  and  constant  care,  the 
Sairey  Ann  would  have  gone  to  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  hours  ago." 

"  Oh,  no,  she  wouldn't,"  said  Max,  who  sat 
resting  on  the  companion  hatch  after  his  long 
strain  of  anxiety  and  hard  work — for  there  is 
genuinely  hard  work  in  steering  a  sloop  in  such 
a  wind  and  sea,  particularly  when  her  helm  is  a 
mere  lever  instead  of  a  wheel. 

"Why  wouldn't  she?"  asked  George  Smith. 
"  And  please,  Captain,  can't  I  be  untied  now  ?  " 

"  Y-e-s,  I  think  so,"  answered  Max  with  some 
doubt  in  his  tone.  "  Yes,  if  you'll  be  very  careful. 
The  sea  is  still  very  high  and  will  remain  so  for 
a  considerable  time.  But  if  you'll  be  careful  you 
may  be  released.  You  see  I  don't  want  to  lose  my 
prisoner  just  yet.    Billy,  untie  him." 

"  I  certainly  don't  want  you  to  lose  me  just 
here,"  answered  the  boy  cheerfully. 

"  But  tell  me,  Captain,  why  wouldn't  the  Sairey 
Ann  have  gone  to  the  bottom  if  she  hadn't  been 
carefully  handled  in  such  a  storm  as  that?  " 

"  Simply  because  she  can't  sink  so  long  as  her 
frame  holds  together,"  answered  Max.  "  She  is 
stuffed  completely  full  of  cotton  bales  and  cotton 
bales  float.    They  are  so  tightly  pressed  that  they 

149 


THE  BALE  MARKED    CIRCLE  X 

can't  absorb  water — except  very,  very  slowly.  If 
the  Sairey  Ann  hadn't  been  carefully  handled  she 
would  have  capsized  and  become  a  water  logged 
derelict  on  the  sea.  But  she  wouldn't  have  sunk. 
She  would  have  drifted  with  the  ocean  currents 
a  constant  source  of  danger  to  other  ships,  till 
some  storm  had  driven  her  on  shore,  or  some  war 
vessel  had  blown  her  up  as  a  dangerous  object  to 
have  floating  round  on  the  sea." 

Max  paused  and  carefully  observed  the  sea. 
Then  he  said: 

"  Let  out  those  reefs,  boys.    I'll  take  the  helm.,, 

This  time  the  boys  observed  the  fact  when  Max 
brought  the  ship  around  to  her  southerly  course. 
They  had  learned  the  lesson  of  alert  attention 
which  is  to  seamanship  what  the  multiplication 
table  is  to  mathematics. 

"  Now  let  out  the  main  sheet.  We'll  let  her 
run  free  before  the  wind." 

As  soon  as  the  sheet  was  fully  out,  the  sail  at 
right  angles  with  the  keel,  and  the  course  laid 
straight  before  the  wind,  the  ship  came  up  on  an 
even  keel  and  lost  most  of  her  disagreeable  motion. 
The  wind  was  strong  from  a  little  west  of  north, 
but  the  sea,  though  still  high,  had  ceased  to  be 
turbulently  so.  Max  inspected  ship  and  found  a 
good  deal  of  water  in  the  hold.  Evidently  the 
ship  had  been  somewhat  strained,  and  it  required 

150 


BEHAVIOR  OF  THE  SAIRET  ANN 

quite  two  hours  of  constant  pumping  to  free  her 
of  water.  In  this  George  Smith,  the  boy  in  blue, 
insisted  upon  helping. 

"  Although  we  are  on  opposite  sides  in  the 
war,"  he  said,  "  we're  literally  '  all  in  one  boat ' 
now,  and  I'm  quite  strong  enough  by  this  time  to 
help  pump  that  boat  out.,, 

The  boys  were  glad  enough  of  his  help,  for  he 
was  a  strong,  muscular  fellow,  and  pumping  is 
exceedingly  hard  work.  They  rejoiced  in  their 
supper  too  when  the  pumping  was  done.  And 
after  supper  they  sat  long  on  deck  under  the  stars 
and  the  young  moon,  talking,  talking,  talking,  as 
boys  will,  before  stretching  themselves  out  for 
sleep. 


»5' 


CHAPTER  XV 
In  the  Trades 

THE  weather  continued  favorable  for  the 
next  four  or  five  days.  The  wind  was 
light  but  it  came  from  favorable  quarters. 
The  sea  was  calm  and  friendly,  and  the  moon  was 
more  than  half  way  to  the  full. 

Except  for  the  easy  work  of  sailing  the  ship, 
the  getting  and  eating  of  very  simple  meals,  and 
a  little  pumping  now  and  then,  there  was  nothing 
for  the  boys  to  do  but  talk.  And  how  they  did 
talk,  especially  of  evenings  on  deck!  For  here 
were  four  intelligent  and  pretty  well  educated 
youths,  who,  as  soldiers,  had  been  matured  beyond 
their  years  by  such  experiences  as  do  not  usually 
come  to  boys  of  their  ages.  Thrown  together  on 
the  deck  of  a  diminutive  ship,  on  a  placid  sea,  in 
a  deliciously  warm  climate  and  under  a  far  south- 
ern moon's  brilliant  shining,  they  naturally  and 
necessarily  talked  of  everything  that  might  arise 
to  interest  their  minds. 

Little  by  little  the  southern  boys  had  come  to 
know  George  Smith  almost  as  well  as  they  knew 

152 


IN  THE  TRADES 


each  other,  and  the  more  they  knew  of  him  the 
better  they  liked  his  generous,  frank  open  manli- 
ness, his  high  sense  of  honor  and  duty,  and  his 
unusual  intelligence.  He  had  by  this  time  come 
to  be  quite  one  of  themselves  and  was  accustomed 
to  take  his  full  share  in  their  conversations,  espe- 
cially when  any  subject  arose  on  which  he  hap- 
pened to  be  better  informed  than  they. 

"  How  steadily  the  wind  holds  from  the  north- 
east/ '  he  said  one  evening. 

"  It's  the  trades,"  said  Max. 

"  What's  that  or  what  are  they?  "  asked  Tibe. 

"  Why,  the  trade  winds.  Sailors  usually  shorten 
the  name  down  to  '  trades/  " 

"  But  what  are  the  trade  winds  ?  "  asked  the 
three  in  a  breath.  "  You  see,  Max,"  added  Billy, 
11  we're  a  fearfully  ignorant  trio — at  least  at  sea. 
We're  apt  to  think  ourselves  quite  well  up  when 
we're  ashore.  But  out  here  we're  babes  and  suck- 
lings and  you  are  our  kindergartner." 

"  Well,"  said  Max,  "  the  trade  winds  are  winds 
that  blow  steadily,  almost  the  year  round,  from 
northeast  to  southwest  on  this  side  of  the  equa- 
tor and  from  southeast  to  northwest  on  the  other 
side." 

"  What  makes  them  behave  in  that  astonish- 
ingly well  bred  way?"  asked  Billy.  "  You  see 
my  experience  with  sea  weather  has  been  confined 

'S3 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

to  this  one  voyage,  but  my  observations  so  far 
have  taught  me  that  the  wind  on  the  face  of  the 
great  deep  is  a  turbulent,  irrational,  atmospheric 
insanity  capable  of  any  thing  in  the  world  but 
repose  or  steadiness  of  any  kind.  I  had  quite 
settled  myself  in  that  belief,  and  now  here  you 
come  telling  me  that  this  gentle  northeast  wind 
does  this  thing  pretty  nearly  all  the  year  round. 
Come,  explain,  Max." 

"  That's  because  you  generalize  too  hastily, 
Billy;  you  draw  your  conclusions  from  too  small 
a  body  of  facts." 

"  Oh,  never  mind  explaining  to  me  that  I'm  an 
ignoramus.  I  knew  all  that  before.  Devote  your 
energies  to  the  more  profitable  work  of  enlighten- 
ing my  benighted  intelligence." 

"  So  far  from  the  wind  being  always  incon- 
stant, it  is  a  thing  to  be  reckoned  on  with  a  good 
deal  of  confidence.  So  far  from  being  always 
angry,  it  is  in  many  parts  of  the  world  a  gentle 
as  well  as  a  most  serviceable  friend  of  the  sailor. 
In  the  North  Atlantic  for  example,  high  north- 
westerly gales  are  confidently  expected  except 
during  a  few  months  of  summer,  and  sometimes 
even  then.  A  little  further  south  there  is  a  strip 
called  the  -  horse  latitudes,'  subject  to  frequent 
and  prolonged  calms.  Sailing  ships  have  been 
known  to  lie   there    for  weeks  '  whistling  for  a 

*54 


IN  THE  TRADES 


wind/  as  sailors  say.  That  was  before  the  ways 
of  the  wind  were  studied  and  mapped  out.  Now- 
adays sailing  ships  take  pains  to  keep  out  of  the 
horse  latitudes  so  far  as  they  can." 

"  Why  do  they  call  that  region  *  horse  lati- 
tudes '  ? "  asked  Tibe.  "I  never  saw  a  horse  be- 
calmed unless  he  was  dead." 

"  The  tradition  is  that  it  got  its  name  from  the 
fact  that  when  America  was  young,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  bring  horses  over  here  from  Europe 
— for  there  were  no  horses  in  America  when  Co- 
lumbus discovered  it — ships  becalmed  in  those 
latitudes  often  had  to  throw  their  cargo  of  horses 
overboard  for  want  of  fresh  water  to  give  them. 
It  is  certain  that  many  thousands  of  horses  must 
have  perished  in  that  way." 

"  That's  an  aside,  prompted  solely  by  Tibe's 
morbid  curiosity,"  said  Billy.  "  Now  come  back 
to  your  text,  Max,  and  go  on  about  the  winds." 

"  Well,"  continued  Max  with  a  smile,  "  there 
is  also  the  region  of  calms  along  the  equator, 
where,  as  the  name  signifies,  there  is  generally 
no  wind  at  all  and  only  very  light  ones  when  there 
are  any — except  that  there  are  tropical  squalls  of 
course.  Between  these  two  regions  of  calm,  lie 
the  trade  winds,  beginning  about  latitude  30,  north 
and  south,  and  blowing  with  remarkable  steadi- 
ness, diagonally  toward  the  equator.    Sometimes 

155 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

t 

they  are  interrupted  by  local  causes,  but  ordinary 
gales  are  very  rare  in  the  region  of  the  trade 
winds.  These  winds  have  been  of  inestimable  ad- 
vantage to  commerce,  especially  before  steam 
navigation  rendered  ships  independent  of  the 
winds." 

"Is  that  why  they  are  called  trade  winds  ?" 
asked  George. 

"  Possibly/'  answered  Max,  "  but  I  think  not. 
I  asked  my  father  that  question  once — he  is  fond 
of  studying  words,  especially  those  that  belong  to 
the  sea — and  he  told  me  that  originally  the  word 
1  trade '  meant  a  path,  or  track,  or  passage  way. 
He  thought  these  winds  got  their  name  from  that. 
They  mark  out  a  favorable  track  or  path  for  ships. 
Still  I  don't  know  whether  he  was  right  or  not." 

"But  what  causes  the  trade  winds?"  asked 
Billy. 

"  The  heat  in  the  region  of  calms  along  the 
equator.  It  raises  the  temperature  of  the  air  and 
causes  it  to  expand.  Of  course  the  hot  air  rises, 
and  the  aif  from  north  and  south  of  that  belt  blows 
in  to  take  its  place.  As  this  process  is  going  on 
all  the  time,  of  course  the  trade  winds  blow  more 
or  less  all  the  time." 

"  But  why  don't  they  blow  straight  soutTi  on 
this  side  and  straight  north  on  the  other  ?  "  queried 
George. 

i56 


IN  THE  TRADES 


"  Because  of  the  rotation  of  the  earth.  It  turns 
to  the  east  faster  than  the  air  on  its  surface  can 
follow  it.  So  the  wind  lags  behind  and  instead 
of  blowing  due  south,  blows  to  the  southwest." 

"  You  say,"  said  Tibe,  "  that  storms  and  gales 
are  rare  in  the  region  of  the  trade  winds.  Then 
now  that  we  are  in  that  peculiarly  favored  part  of 
the  ocean,  we  have  no  more  shaking  up  to  fear." 

"  Oh,  not  so  fast,"  quickly  answered  Max. 
"  There  may  be  gales  even  here,  and  we  may  get 
something  very  much  worse." 

"What's  that?" 

"  Tropical  white  squalls,  and  hurricanes  that 
often  fairly  shave  the  earth  of  its  trees  and  shrubs 
and  even  of  its  surface  itself  sometimes — winds 
that  nothing  can  withstand — winds  that  work  such 
havoc  and  ruin  as  the  severest  ordinary  gale  could 
not  even  approach." 

"  Well,  I  must  say,"  said  Tibe,  "  you  open  a 
pleasant  prospect  for  us  to  contemplate,  this  calm 
and  beautiful  night." 

"  I  only  mentioned  that  as  a  possibility.  Of 
course  the  very  worst  of  the  tropical  hurricanes 
do  not  occur  except  at  long  intervals — intervals 
of  years  often.  But  even  a  baby  blow  of  that  sort 
would  be  an  exceedingly  uncomfortable  thing  for 
the  Sairey  Ann  to  encounter.  Fortunately  it  is 
now  October,  and  September  is   the   month   in 

157 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

which  hurricanes  are  most  apt  to  occur.  It  is 
rather  late  for  them  now,  but  still  October  often 
gets  its  share  of  them." 

"  Then  barring  that  chance,"  asked  George, 
"  we  are  likely  to  have  good  weather  and  a  favor- 
able wind  till  we  reach  Nassau?  " 

"  Yes — barring  hurricanes  and  squalls.  You 
see  our  course  now  lies  a  very  little  east  of  south, 
so  that  the  northeast  trade  wind  comes  over  our 
port  quarter,  and  we  couldn't  have  it  from  a  more 
favorable  direction.  If  conditions  continue  as 
they  are  we  ought  to  reach  port  within  three  or 
four  days." 

"  Well,"  drawled  Billy,  "  I'm  going  to  port 
now,  and  going  to  sleep  there  by  the  port  rail." 

"  William  O.  Boker,"  said  Tibe  solemnly,  "  are 
you  so  lost  to  all  considerations  of  propriety  that 
you  deliberately  indulge  in  a  pun  at  this  time  of 
night,  on  a  sea  so  beautiful  and  under  a  moon  so 
brilliant?" 

"  I  beg  pardon,"  apologized  Billy,  "  but  I'm 
just  stupid  enough  with  sleep  to  give  way  to  de- 
praved intellectual  tendencies.     Good -night,  all." 


i58 


CHAPTER   XVI 
The  Barbarism  of  War 

THE  sun  shone  fervently  the  next  day,  and 
in  spite  of  the  gentle  trade  wind,  it  was 
excessively  hot  on  the  Sairey  Ann's 
deck.  The  boys  passed  their  time  mostly  in  doz- 
ing in  the  shade  of  the  sail,  now  and  then  arous- 
ing themselves  to  take  a  bath,  which  they  did  by 
pouring  buckets  of  sea  water  over  each  other  on 
the  deck.  The  water  was  almost  tepid  but  as  it 
evaporated  from  their  persons  in  the  wind,  it 
cooled  and  refreshed  them.  They  "  took  turns  " 
at  the  tiller,  but  there  was  nothing  else  in  the 
way  of  work  to  be  done. 

Tibe  did  indeed  seize  the  opportunity  of  a  calm 
sea  and  a  steady  keel,  to  boil  a  piece  of  "  salt 
horse,"  as  sailors  and  soldiers  call  corned  beef. 
All  the  boys  were  tired,  to  the  point  of  disgust, 
of  the  very  bad  fried  bacon  and  pork  that  had 
been  their  diet  for  now  many  days.  As  there  were 
a  few  potatoes  on  board,  Tibe  peeled  some  of 
them  and  dropped  them  into  the  kettle  just  before 
the  beef  was  done.    The  beef  was  tough,  but  the 

*59 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

combination  was  regarded  by  all  on  board  as  a 
delightful  change  from  their  monotonous  diet  of 
the  last  week. 

"  It's  the  best  meal  we've  had,"  declared  Billy, 
"  since  we  finished  picking  the  bones  of  that  ham. 
And  I'm  glad  to  see  there's  enough  of  it  left  for 
a  second  dinner  tomorrow." 

"  That  shows,"  said  George,  "  how  truly  all 
things  are  comparative.  This  corned  gutta 
percha  seems  delicious  to  us  now,  because  we've 
had  only  rancid  bacon  for  a  long  time  past.  On 
shore  we'd  think  it  too  tough  to  be  eaten." 

"  That  remark  shows,"  said  Billy,  "  which 
army  you  belong  to.  Obviously  you  are  not  used 
to  Confederate  rations.  For  our  part,  we'd  think 
this  delicious  in  camp.     Wouldn't  we,  Tibe?" 

"  Certainly.  We're  used  to  eating  gutta 
percha  beef — when  we  can  get  it.  Generally  we 
can't  get  it." 

"  I  suppose  you  fellows  do  have  to  live  pretty 
hard.  You've  no  canned  meats  or  vegetables 
have  you  ?  " 

"  None,  except  sometimes  when  we  invade  one 
of  your  camps  and  plunder  it.  For  the  rest  we 
eat  the  little  meat  and  bread  we  get,  and  such 
other  things  as  we  can  pick  up." 

"What  sort  of  things?" 

"  Why,  wild  onions  sometimes,  or  tender  roots* 

160 


THE  BARBARISM  OF  WAR 

. —iMi  ■■!■■■■   mi    iii iiiiim—  mm 

or  hard  corn,  or  anything  that  comes  to  hand. 
A  lot  of  us  poisoned  ourselves  once  by  eating 
boiled  potato  tops." 

11  Boiled  potato  tops !  "  exclaimed  George  in 
astonishment. 

11  Yes.  You  see  when  they  are  very,  very 
young,  potato  tops  can  be  eaten  as  greens.  But 
that's  a  condition  they  very  soon  get  over,  just 
as  a  kid  gets  over  his  tender  toothsomeness  as 
soon  as  he  begins  to  grow  toward  goathood. 
Well,  our  potato  tops  had  passed  the  first  flush 
of  their  youth,  and  they  proved  to  be  poisonous. 
Nobody  died  of  eating  them,  but  every  man  of 
us  was  frightfully  sick  that  night." 

"  And  the  worst  of  it,"  added  Max,  "  was  that 
your  people  inconsiderately  selected  that  night  to 
attack  us,  and  sick  as  we  were — almost  doubled 
up  with  pain — we  had  to  go  to  the  guns  and  work 
the  battery  all  night/ ' 

"  What  a  cruel  thing  war  is,  anyhow ! "  said 
George.  "  I  remember  once  when  a  battle  was 
about  to  begin — indeed  the  skirmishers  had  al- 
ready begun  in  front,  and  we  were  lying  down  in 
line  of  battle,  waiting  for  them  to  fall  back  upon 
us,  I  remember  thinking,  '  here  are  two  great 
armies  confronting  each  other.  They  have  noth- 
ing against  each  other.  If  any  two  of  the  men 
from  opposing  sides  were  to  meet  they  would  be 

161 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

friends.  And  yet  in  a  few  minutes  they  are  going 
to  begin  slaughtering  each  other.  There  isn't  a 
man  among  them  on  either  side,  except  a  few 
ambitious  officers  perhaps,  who  wouldn't  rather 
not/  Now  take  our  own  present  case,  for  ex- 
ample. A  week  ago  I  was  shooting  at  you  fellows 
and  you  shot  at  me.  We  had  never  seen  each 
other  or  even  heard  of  each  other,  so  we  simply 
couldn't  have  anything  against  each  other.  Yet 
the  moment  we  met  we  began  trying  to  kill  each 
other.  And  then  when  I  was  shot  and  fell  into 
the  water,  I  hadn't  the  slightest  hesitation  in  call- 
ing to  the  very  men  I  had  been  trying  to  kill  for 
help.  And  you,  in  your  turn,  were  so  far  from 
feeling  malice  toward  me,  that  you  stopped  your 
boat  to  pick  me  up,  when  the  delay  involved  an 
imminent  risk  of  your  lives,  your  ship  and  the 
purposes  of  your  expedition.  And  when  you  got 
me  on  board  you  were  as  kind  to  me  as  if  I  had 
really  been  Tibe's  brother,  as  he  playfully  sug- 
gested that  I  might  be.  I  tell  you,  boys,  war  is 
utterly  irrational  as  well  as  barbarously  cruel." 

The  boy's  words,  spoken  with  intense  feeling, 
set  his  companions  thinking,  and  none  of  them 
made  any  reply.  Presently  George  Smith  re- 
sumed : 

"  Then  again,  we  hope  to  be  in  port  within  a 
few  days.    I  shall  be  free  then,  for  of  course  you 

162 


THE  BARBARISM  OF  WAR 

couldn't  hold  me  as  a  prisoner  of  war  on  British 
territory  even  if  you  wanted  to " 

"  Which  we  certainly  do  not,"  interrupted 
Max. 

"  No,  of  course  you  don't.  And  that's  the  ab- 
surdity of  it  as  well  as  the  horror  of  it.  Here 
we  are — good  comrades  and  warm,  personal 
friends.  We  wish  each  other  nothing  in  the  world 
but  good.  Not  one  of  us  would  willingly  hurt  a 
hair  of  another.  Yet  you  will  go  back  to  South 
Carolina  as  soon  as  you  can,  and  I  as  soon  as 
my  leg  gets  well,  which  will  not  be  long  after  I 
get  into  a  hospital.  Then  we  must  again  do  our 
best — or  worst — to  kill  each  other.  It  is  a  thing 
horrible  to  think  of.  War  is  barbaric,  a  survival 
of  savagery,  and  no  blinding  of  the  eyes  by  its 
pomp  and  glitter  can  cover  the  truth  about  it  from 
the  sight  of  any  man  who  really  thinks." 

"  You  are  right,  I  suppose,"  said  Max  medita- 
tively. "  Of  course  you  are  right.  Indeed  you 
haven't  touched  upon  the  worst  of  the  matter. 
The  brutal  butchery  of  soldiers  in  the  field,  who 
as  you  say,  bear  each  other  no  malice,  is  the  very 
least  of  it.  Think  of  the  desolated  hearthstones 
and  darkened  lives  at  home !  Think  of  the  wives 
made  widows,  of  the  mother  to  whom  news  comes 
of  the  killing  of  the  sons  who  were  babes  in  her 
arms,   prattling  children  about  her  knees,  and 

163 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

■  ■■ 

later  promised  to  be  her  strong,  losing  support  as 
age  should  draw  near!  Think  of  the  loving 
father  who  has  toiled  and  pinched  and  planned 
to  provide  a  future  for  the  boy  of  whom  he  is  so 
proud;  think  of  him  when  he  learns  that  the  brain 
he  has  so  lovingly  labored  to  fit  for  a  life  of  use- 
fulness and  honor,  has  been  pierced  by  a  bullet  or 
scattered  by  a  cannon  ball!  Yes,  it  is  horrible. 
But  how  are  we  to  be  rid  of  it?  " 

"  Just  as  we  have  rid  ourselves  of  other  bar- 
baric practices, — by  abandoning  it,"  answered 
George. 

"  But  how  then,"  asked  Max,  "  are  nations  to 
protect  their  people  from  wrong,  and  maintain 
their  independence  and  their  rights?  If  any  na- 
tion should  say  to  the  rest,  '  We  have  made  up 
our  minds  to  engage  no  more  in  war;  we  have 
discharged  our  armies,  leveled  our  forts  and  sent 
our  cannon  to  the  foundry  to  be  made  into  steam 
engines/  what  would  prevent  every  other  nation 
from  overrunning  her  territory  and  oppressing 
her  people  at  will?  " 

"  Civilization,"  answered  George. 

"But  how?" 

"  I'll  tell  you  in  a  minute.  First  let  me  add 
another  to  the  list  of  objections  to  war.  I  mean 
its  enormous  cost  to  the  people  both  while  it  is 
actually  going  on  and  in  keeping  prepared  for  it 

164 


THE  BARBARISM  OF  WAR 

in  time  of  peace.  Every  country  in  Europe 
spends  lavish  millions  every  year  on  forts,  arse- 
nals and  arms ;  squanders  other  lavish  millions  in 
paying  and  feeding  multitudes  of  soldiers.  Worse 
still,  every  Continental  nation  compels  all  its 
young  men  to  serve  three  years  or  more  in  the 
army,  thus  taking  three  or  more  of  the  best  years 
of  their  lives  away  from  productive  work,  and 
devoting  them  to  an  expensive  idleness.  Think 
what  a  loss  that  means!  Multiply  the  two  or 
three  millions  of  soldiers  that  are  always  under 
arms  in  Europe,  by  the  earning  capacity  of  a  man 
during  three  years — by  the  amount  of  food  or 
clothing  or  other  useful  thing  he  might  produce  in 
three  years  for  the  betterment  of  mankind — and 
you  have  a  startling  total  to  represent  this  sheer 
waste.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  in  the  military  na- 
tions the  people  are  ill  fed,  ill  clothed  and  ill 
housed?  For  every  dollar  that  a  nation  spends 
in  war,  or  in  preparation  for  war,  must  be  taken 
out  of  the  wages  of  those  who  toil.  Is  it  any  won- 
der that  a  people  taxed  to  maintain  such  military 
establishments,  often  do  not  see  meat  once  a  week, 
and  sometimes  not  once  a  year  ?  " 

Then  Max  added:  "I  was  at  Gibraltar  once, 
with  my  father.  There  are  four  or  five  thou- 
sand big  guns  there,  the  mere  cost  of  which 
would    support    every    pauper    in    England    for 

165 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

ten  years.  And  British  workmen  and  peasants 
had  to  furnish  every  dollar  of  that  cost,  and  sup- 
port the  paupers  besides.  They  were  firing  one 
of  those  big  guns  at  a  target,  and  I  was  told  that 
it  cost  four  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  for  every 
shot  fired.  That  means  that  every  time  the  gun 
is  fired  some  British  workman's  entire  wages  for 
a  whole  year  are  burnt  up !  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
pauperism  is  steadily  increasing  in  Great  Britain  ? 
For  Gibraltar  is  only  one  of  England's  many 
great  fortified  positions.  There  are  scores  of 
others  scattered  all  over  the  earth." 

"  Your  facts,  Max,  and  those  that  George  has 
given,  are  very  impressive,"  said  Billy,  "  and 
between  you  two  you  have  made  out  a  very  good 
case  against  war,  as  a  barbaric,  cruel,  costly,  and 
altogether  inhuman  practice.  But  I  am  curious 
to  hear  your  answer  to  Max's  questions,  George. 
You  promised  to  tell  us  how  nations  may  quit 
warring  without  inviting  wrong,  oppression  and 
the  robbery  of  their  people." 

"  How  do  civilized  men  maintain  their  rights 
without  shooting  each  other?"  asked  George. 
"  There  was  a  time,  you  know,  not  many  cen- 
turies ago,  when  the  right  of  private  war  was  as 
well  recognized  as  the  right  of  public  war  is  now, 
and  exercised  much  more  constantly.  Every 
baron  lived  in  a  fortified  castle,  and  every  knight 

1 66 


THE  BARBARISM  OF  WAR 

went  constantly  armed  to  the  teeth  and  encased 
in  iron.  The  poorer  people  had  to  become  slaves, 
in  fact  or  in  effect,  in  order  to  live  at  all.  The 
barons  were  constantly  making  war  on  each 
other,  and  plundering  each  other,  and  the  knights, 
whenever  they  felt  themselves  aggrieved,  or  cher- 
ished an  enmity  against  others,  proceeded  to  kill 
those  others  if  they  could,  and  nobody  thought 
any  the  worse  of  them  because  of  it.  Nowadays 
we'd  hang  any  man  who  should  behave  as  they 
did.  That  was  war  in  its  personal  form.  If  any- 
body had  suggested  to  those  men  to  strip  off  their 
armor,  put  away  their  swords,  fill  up  the  moats  of 
their  castles  and  open  their  gates,  they  would  have 
asked  in  astonishment :  '  But  how  then  are  we  to 
protect  our  rights?  How  are  we  to  prevent  our 
neighbors  from  plundering  our  houses  and  deso- 
lating our  fields  ?  '  Little  by  little  men  learned 
the  answer  to  those  questions.  Little  by  little,  as 
they  grew  more  civilized,  they  learned  to  estab- 
lish laws,  and  to  refer  all  questions  of  right  or 
wrong  to  courts  that  could  consider  them  impar- 
tially and  settle  them  far  more  justly  than  swords 
and  spears  ever  did.  We  do  not  now  feel  the 
necessity  of  making  walking  arsenals  of  ourselves, 
and  fortresses  of  our  homes.  If  any  man  wrongs 
you  or  robs  you,  you  call  upon  the  courts  for  re- 
dress, and  you  get  it.    Why  should  not  civilized 

167 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

nations  do  precisely  what  civilized  men  have 
done?" 

"  But,"  interrupted  Billy,  "  the  courts  can  en- 
force their  decrees.  They  can  compel  the  wrong 
doer  to  make  amends.  They  can  punish  crime. 
They  can  enforce  justice  between  man  and  man." 

"Where  do  they  get  that  power?"  asked 
George.  "  The  gray-haired  judge  upon  the  bench 
is  not  strong  enough  to  restrain  a  ruffian  by  force, 
or  to  compel  disputants  to  submit  to  his  decisions. 
Do  not  the  courts  derive  their  authority  from  the 
people?  And  is  not  their  power  simply  that  of 
the  whole  community,  banded  together  in  an 
agreement  to  enforce  the  laws  they  have  them- 
selves made?  Is  there  not,  behind  the  judge,  the 
physical  force  of  the  entire  community?  " 

"  Yes,  certainly,  to  all  your  questions,"  said 
Billy.  "  But  how  are  you  going  to  compel 
sovereign  nations  to  obey  any  decree  except  that 
of  their  own  will  ?  " 

"  In  precisely  the  same  way  as  that  in  which 
civilized  communities  compel  individuals  to  obey 
the  law  and  submit  to  the  decrees  of  the  courts — 
namely  by  all  of  them  agreeing  to  enforce  the 
obedience  of  each.  My  idea — it  isn't  exactly 
mine,  as  I  first  got  the  suggestion  from  a  wise 
essay  I  read  a  few  years  ago — is  this:  Let  all 
the  civilized  nations  agree  to  unite  in  setting  up 

168 


THE  BARBARISM  OF  WAR 

a——  — — — 

an  international  court,  in  which  each  of  them 
shall  be  equally  represented.  Give  to  that  court 
the  right  to  hear  all  disputes  among  nations,  and 
to  decide  them  finally.  Let  the  nations  agree  to 
abide  by  such  decisions,  and  to  unite  in  enforcing 
them  upon  any  nation  that  refuses  to  obey.  No 
one  nation  could  resist  all  the  rest,  or  would  dare 
try  such  a  thing.  Under  such  a  system  they 
would  all  presently  quit  fighting  and  send  their 
soldiers  to  cultivate  their  fields  or  work  in  their 
shops,  just  as  under  our  system  of  laws  and 
courts  men  have  ceased  to  feel  any  necessity  to 
wear  swords  in  the  drawing  room  or  anywhere 
else.  The  money  that  must  be  wrung  as  taxes 
out  of  the  scant  earnings  of  the  poor,  would  go 
to  buy  better  food  and  clothing  and  build  better 
homes  for  those  who  earn  it.  The  world  would 
be  richer  by  every  dollar  that  war  and  readiness 
for  war  cost,  and  by  the  entire  earning  capacity 
of  all  the  men  now  living  in  wasteful  idleness  as 
soldiers.  No  nation  would  need  to  keep  any  but 
a  miniature  army  for  police  purposes." 

"  But  would  it  be  possible  to  persuade  nations 
to  enter  into  such  an  agreement?  "  asked  Billy. 

"  Not  now,  perhaps.  They  are  not  yet  civil- 
ized enough.  But  when  civilization  has  reached 
a  higher  stage,  I  think  something  of  that  sort  will 
be  done.     The  knights  and  barons  of  a  few  cen- 

169 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

turies  ago,  could  never  have  been  persuaded  to 
accept  our  present  system.  But  as  civilization 
has  advanced  that  system  has  come  about  and  we 
should  look  with  absolute  horror  upon  the  barbar- 
ism of  the  older  system  if  it  could  be  restored 
anywhere." 

"  For  that  matter/'  said  Max,  "  the  civilized 
nations  have  already  agreed  upon  many  things 
that  would  once  have  been  thought  impossible. 
These  very  seas  that  we  are  sailing  in  were  in- 
fested with  pirates  until  comparatively  recent 
times,  and  it  was  impossible  to  suppress  piracy 
until  the  sovereign  nations  came  to  an  under- 
standing about  it,  each  surrendering  a  part  of  its 
sovereignty  for  the  common  good." 

"  How  was  that,  Max?"  asked  George. 

"Why,  you  know  every  nation  holds  itself 
bound  to  protect  its  subjects  or  citizens  against 
wrongs  done  by  any  other  nation.  It  doesn't 
matter  how  far  away  it  may  be  or  how  unworthy 
the  man  concerned,  each  sovereign  nation  must 
extend  its  protection  to  all  men  who  owe  it  alle- 
giance. Now  for  a  long  time  this  protection  was 
extended  even  to  pirates  when  they  were  caught. 
If  Spain,  for  instance,  caught  a  British  subject 
in  the  act  of  piracy,  on  the  high  seas,  and  he 
claimed  British  protection,  he  was  apt  to  get  it. 
Spain  could  not  try  him  and  hang  him  without 

170 


THE  BARBARISM  OF  WAR 

serious  risk  of  getting  into  trouble  with  England. 
So  piracy  flourished,  and  even  merchant  ships  had 
to  go  armed  almost  like  men  of  war,  just  as  in- 
dividual men  once  did.  At  last  it  was  agreed 
among  the  nations  that  every  pirate  should  be 
deemed  an  outlaw,  a  man  without  a  country,  any- 
body's game,  and  that  no  nation  would  protect 
pirates  against  any  other.  After  that  whatever 
nation  caught  a  pirate  hanged  him,  and  piracy 
quickly  came  to  an  end.  If  nations  were  brought 
to  such  an  agreement  as  that  for  the  common 
good,  I  do  not  see  why  they  shouldn't  some  day 
— when  they  grow  civilized  enough — substitute 
an  international  court  for  war,  as  a  means  of 
settling  disputes  and  securing  justice/' 

"  Possibly,"  said  Billy.  "  But  at  present  it  all 
seems  a  beautiful  dream,  too  good  to  be  realized 
in  fact." 


171 


CHAPTER  XVII 
A  Point  of  Honor 

THE  next  morning  George  Smith  asked 
Billy  to  examine  his  wound,  which,  he 
said,  had  troubled  him  all  night.  To 
the  distress  of  all  the  boys  Billy  found  the  wound 
a  good  deal  inflamed  and  the  leg  considerably 
swollen. 

"  Fortunately,"  said  Max,  "  we  ought  to  make 
port  now  within  two  or  three  days  at  furthest, 
and  the  sooner  the  better.  For  the  sooner  we  get 
you  into  a  hospital  and  that  leg  of  yours  into  a 
surgeon's  care,  the  better  it  will  be  for  you.  In 
the  meantime  I'm  going  to  set  a  bucket  of  sea 
water  here  by  you,  George,  and  you  must  pour 
water  over  the  leg  freely.  It  may  help  allay  the 
inflammation." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  boy,  who  was  evidently 
suffering  a  good  deal  of  pain. 

"  And  now  you  other  fellows,"  said  Max,  "  I'm 
going  to  work  you  a  good  deal  harder  than  I've 
been  doing.  We  are  in  among  the  Bahama  Is- 
lands now,  and  as  most  of  them  are  uninhabited, 
and  many  of  them  very  small,  rocky  islets,  of 

172 


A  POINT  OF  HONOR 

course  there  are  no  shore  lights.  We  must  be 
careful  not  to  run  into  any  of  them  unawares.  So 
from  now  till  we  make  port,  I'm  going  to  keep 
one  of  you  always  on  lookout  duty  at  the  bow 
during  the  nights.  In  daytime  the  man  at  the 
helm  can  be  his  own  lookout,  but  at  night  there 
must  always  be  a  man  forward  with  eyes  and 
mind  alert.5' 

"  How  big  a  group  of  islands  is  it  anyhow  ?  " 
asked  Tibe. 

"  It  is  six  or  seven  hundred  miles  long,  from 
north  to  south,  and  nearly  that  wide.  There  are 
about  six  hundred  of  the  islands  in  all,  counting 
big  and  little,  but  only  about  a  dozen  or  fifteen  of 
them  are  inhabited.  The  rest  are  more  or  less 
barren — some  of  them  entirely  so  while  others 
bear  a  few  wild  fruits  on  a  very  thin,  unproduc- 
tive soil.  Now  one  thing  you  must  bear  well  in 
mind.  These  islands  do  not  loom  up  out  of  the 
water  so  as  to  be  easily  seen.  They  are  very  low 
and  flat,  so  that  in  order  to  see  them  at  night  one 
must  be  very  watchful  indeed.  I  said  just  now 
that  you  must  keep  your  eyes  and  minds  alert — I 
should  have  said  ears  also,  for  you  must  listen  for 
the  surf  beating  on  any  island  we  may  happen 
on. 

"  Then  you  don't  know  your  way  through  the 
archipelago?  "  asked  Tibe. 

173 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Yes,  I  do.  Or  rather  my  charts  show  me  the 
way,  and  from  this  time  on,  I  shall  study  them 
carefully.  But  my  reckoning  may  be  out  a  trifle 
and  a  very  small  error  in  the  reckoning  might 
throw  us  sufficiently  out  of  our  course  to  en- 
danger us." 

Max  took  several  observations  during  the  morn- 
ing and  one  exactly  at  noon.  Each  time  he  very 
carefully  worked  out  the  position  of  the  ship,  try- 
ing to  get  it  as  accurately  as  possible.  After  the 
noon  observation,  he  called  out  to  Billy  to  "  use 
the  lead," — that  is  to  say  to  measure  the  depth  of 
the  wrater  with  a  sounding  line.  Billy  did  so,  re- 
peatedly as  the  ship  sped  on,  each  time  announc- 
ing the  result  to  Max  who  jotted  the  figures  down 
on  a  sheet  of  paper.  After  a  while  he  bade  Billy 
cease  sounding,  and  after  carefully  comparing  the 
figures  on  his  sheet  of  paper  with  those  on  the 
chart,  he  quietly  said : 

"  My  reckoning  is  correct   or  very  nearly  so." 

"  Now  how  on  earth — or  how  on  the  sea, 
rather, — do  you  find  that  out  by  sounding?" 
asked  Billy. 

"  Come  here  and  Til  show  you.  Look  at  the 
chart.  It  is  a  chart  of  the  Bahamas — or  at  any 
rate  the  northern  part  of  the  group.  You  see 
little  figures  dotted  about  all  over  it,  As  I  showed 
you  on  the  chart  of  Charleston  harbor,  these 

J74 


A  POINT  OF  HONOR 

figures  give  the  soundings  at  mean  low  water. 
Each  shows  how  deep  the  water  is  at  low  tide  on 
the  spot  on  which  the  figure  is  placed.  Now  if 
my  reckoning  is  correct  the  water  here  ought  to 
be  about  as  deep  as  the  figures  on  the  chart  call 
for  at  the  point  where  I  find  the  position  of  the 
ship  to  be.  Your  sounding  shows  this  to  be  the 
case,  so  I  know  that  my  reckoning  is  approxi- 
mately correct.  There  are  lead  lines  so  con- 
structed that  the  lead  brings  up  particles  of  the 
bottom.  Ship  masters  use  these  when  approach- 
ing a  known  coast  in  a  fog  or  when  the  clouds 
are  too  thick  to  permit  an  observation.  They 
know  the  character  of  the  bottom  at  various 
points  as  well  as  the  soundings,  and  so  by  exam- 
ining the  stuff  brought  up  by  the  lead,  to  see 
whether  it  is  ?,and  or  mud  or  what  not,  they 
are  able  to  make  out  pretty  well  where  they 
are. 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  George.  "  That's  very  in- 
teresting, but  isn't  that  an  island  away  over 
yonder  to  port?" 

Max  took  the  glass  and  scrutinized  the  horizon 
carefully.  Then  handing  the  instrument  to  Tibe, 
who  wanted  to  look,  he  said : 

"  You  have  sharp  eyes,  George.  That  is  an 
island,  but  I  can't  make  it  out  at  all  with  the 
naked  eye.    I  expected  to  see  it  shortly." 

17s 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

Then  studying  the  chart,  and  slightly  changing 
his  course,  he  said : 

"  If  my  reckoning  is  right,  we  should  make  out 
another  island  off  to  starboard  in  an  hour.  I've 
changed  course  a  bit  so  as  to  bring  it  within  the 
horizon  as"  we  pass  it.  If  we  can  make  it  out  I 
shall  positively  know  that  my  reckoning  is  cor- 
rect, and  that  is  extremely  important  when  sail- 
ing through  an  archipelago,  where  most  of  the 
islands  are  unlighted." 

"  Max,"  said  George  presently,  "  I've  been 
thinking.  There  are  only  three  of  you  fellows, 
and  if  there  must  always  be  one  at  the  helm  and 
one  on  lookout  at  night,  you'll  get  very  little  sleep. 
Now,  you  have  just  complimented  my  eyesight. 
Why  shouldn't  I  take  a  turn  at  the  lookout,  with 
the  others?" 

"  There  are  just  two  reasons,"  answered  Max, 
"  why  I  think  I  ought  not  to  permit  that." 

"What  are  they?" 

"  First  that  you  are  not  well  enough." 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,"  quickly  answered  the  boy, 
"  it  is  just  as  easy  and  comfortable  to  sit  in  the 
bow  as  to  sit  here  astern,  and  there's  no  work  to 
do.  You  see  I  don't  look  with  my  legs.  Besides 
my  leg  is  much  better  since  you  set  me  to  pouring 
sea  water  over  it." 

I76 


A  POINT  OF  HONOR 

"  Well,  my  second  reason  is  not  so  easily  put 
aside/'  said  Max. 

"What  is  it?" 

*  Why,  you  are  a  Union  soldier,  who  must  not 
'give  aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemy/  as  the  mili- 
tary phrase  runs,  and  we  are  *  the  enemy/  " 

"  Well/'  answered  George,  "  the  enemy  has 
given  a  good  deal  of  '  aid  and  comfort '  to  me." 

"  That's  different.  You  are  wounded  and  a  pris- 
oner in  our  hands,  and  it  is  not  only  our  privilege 
but  our  duty  to  do  all  we  can  for  you,  personally. 
But  you  see  we  are  at  this  moment  engaged  in 
the  military  service  of  the  Confederacy.  The 
purpose  of  our  expedition  is  distinctly  hostile  to 
your  side.  We  are  trying  to  do  something  which 
the  Confederate  authorities  very  greatly  want 
done,  and  which  your  people  would  blow  the 
Sairey  Ann  to  pieces  to  prevent  us  from  doing,  if 
they  could;  we  are  trying  to  accomplish  some- 
thing which,  if  we  accomplish  it,  will  be  detri- 
mental to  your  side  and  advantageous  to  ours — 
I  don't  at  all  know  how,  but  that  is  clearly  the 
fact.  Now  you,  as  a  Union  soldier,  cannot 
honorably  aid  us  in  any  way  to  succeed  in  this 
enterprise.  As  a  prisoner  you  had  a  right  to 
pledge  yourself  by  parole  not  to  interfere  with 
us  in  any  way,  and  you  are  bound  in  honor  to 

177 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

keep  that  pledge.  But  you  cannot  go  further  and 
render  us  any  assistance/' 

"  But  you  see,"  answered  the  boy,  "  I  am  as 
anxious  to  make  port  as  you  are.  My  very  life 
may  depend  upon  my  getting  to  hospital  before 
this  wound  gangrenes.  The  difference  of  a  day, 
or  even  half  a  day  in  the  time  of  the  ship's  arrival 
may  make  a  life  and  death  difference  to  me.  It 
seems  to  me  that  under  such  circumstances  I  am 
free  to  help  you  shorten  the  voyage  in  my  own 
interest." 

"  Possibly  that  may  be  true,  George,"  answered 
Max,  after  half  a  minute's  thoughtful  silence, 
"  but  I  doubt  it.  It  is  a  nice  point,  but  it  involves 
a  question  of  soldierly  honor,  and  in  every  such 
case  a  true  man  must  give  honor  the  benefit  of  the 
doubt.  So  I  shall  not  let  you  do  any  duty  while 
you're  aboard  ship." 

"  Very  well,"  said  George.  "  Perhaps  you  are 
right  and  after  all  if  things  go  well  with  us  there 
will  be  only  two  or  three  nights  of  watching." 

"  Only  two  or  three  nights,"  answered  Max, 
"  if  all  goes  well.  For  in  that  case  we'll  easily 
make  port  within  three  days.  For  I've  got  the 
ship's  position  correctly.  Look !  There's  the  is- 
land I  was  expecting  to  see." 


I78 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
A   White  Squall 

THE  rest  of  that  day,  and  the  night  follow- 
ing it,  passed  without  incident  of  any 
sort,  except  that  during  the  night 
George's  leg  grew  still  more  painful,  and  when 
Billy  examined  it  in  the  morning  he  found  it 
alarmingly  inflamed,  while  the  boy  showed  un- 
mistakable signs  of  fever. 

The  morning  broke  upon  squally  weather.  The 
squalls  came  out  of  the  southwest,  and  lasted 
usually  from  five  to  twenty  minutes.  They  blew 
with  so  much  severity  when  they  came,  that  Max 
ordered  a  double  reef  in  the  sail,  and  himself  re- 
mained at  the  tiller  all  the  time,  closely  scrutiniz- 
ing the  barometer  from  time  to  time,  and  chang- 
ing his  course  when  necessary,  in  order  to  meet 
and  ride  out  the  successive  little  storms.  Some- 
times three  or  four  squalls  would  follow  each 
other  in  rapid  succession.  Sometimes  an  hour  or 
even  two  hours  would  pass  with  no  squall  at  all. 
The  sea  did  not  grow  very  high  under  the  treat- 
ment it  was  receiving,  for  the  wind  was  not  con- 
stant enough  for  that.    But  the  work  of  navigat- 

179 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

ing  the  ship  was  difficult,  and  Max,  with  grim 
determination  in  his  face,  remained  steadfastly  at 
his  post.  During  one  of  the  lulls  he  allowed  Tibe 
to  give  him  something  to  eat  from  his  hand,  but 
not  for  one  moment  did  he  relinquish  the  helm. 

So  passed  the  hours  until  about  four  o'clock. 
At  that  time  there  was  a  small  island  about  five 
miles  to  leeward,  and  Max  was  trying  to  give  it 
a  wide  berth,  lest  a  squall  should  send  the  ship 
ashore  upon  it.  Suddenly  George  suspended  his 
work  of  pouring  sea  water  on  his  wound,  and 
called  out :     "  Look  there,  Max !  " 

Max  was  already  looking,  and  what  he  saw 
might  well  have  appalled  him.  Off  to  the  south- 
west a  great  white  wall  of  water  was  coming  at 
lightning  speed  toward  the  ship,  with  an  inky- 
black  cloud  looming  up  behind  it. 

"  Lower  away  the  mainsail,  quick !  "  he  com- 
manded. 

But  before  the  boys  could  even  let  go  the  peak 
halyard  the  white  squall  was  upon  them.  Wind 
and  wave  struck  almost  at  the  same  instant  and 
they  struck  as  a  thunderbolt  does — with  irresist- 
ible force  and  a  roar  so  great  that  no  human 
voice  could  make  itself  heard  above  the  tumult. 
Instantly  the  ship  went  over  on  her  beam  ends, 
and  the  boys  were  in  the  water,  clinging  as  best 
they  could  to   the  mast  and   sail   and   rigging, 

I  80 


A  WHITE  SQUALL 


while  every  few  seconds  the  sea,  now  lashed  into 
fury,  broke  over  the  ship  and  came  down  upon 
their  heads  with  a  force  that  threatened  instant 
destruction.  Fortunately  the  ship,  lying  on  her 
side,  was  between  them  and  the  hurricane,  thus 
furnishing  them  some  small  shelter.  But  it  was 
wTith  the  utmost  difficulty  that  they  maintained 
their  hold  upon  the  wreckage,  while  it  required 
great  care  for  them  to  catch  their  breath  between 
the  seas  that  broke  over  the  ship. 

Meantime  the  cloud  had  spread  itself  like  a 
black  pall  over  the  entire  heavens,  so  that  although 
it  was  a  little  past  the  middle  of  the  afternoon, 
the  darkness  equaled  that  of  the  murkiest  mid- 
night, while  a  thick  scud  enveloped  and  com- 
pletely shut  out  the  sea.  The  wind  shrieked,  as 
it  struck  the  ship,  like  a  legion  of  foul  fiends,  and 
the  plight  of  the  poor  fellows,  clinging  for  life 
to  the  wreckage  there  in  the  seething  sea,  was 
pitiable. 

After  a  little  the  first  fury  of  the  hurricane 
passed  away,  but  the  gale  that  followed  was  furi- 
ous and  it  was  not  until  the  sun  was  sinking 
that  the  black  pall  of  cloud  loosened  its  western 
edge  from  the  horizon  and  let  the  light  break 
again  upon  the  sea.  As  soon  as  the  howling 
tempest  abated  its  fury  sufficiently  to  permit  his 
voice  to  be  heard,  Max  shouted  to  the  boys : 

181 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Make  yourselves  fast  to  the  mast  or  boom  or 
anything  else.  Use  the  halyards  or  any  cordage 
you  can  get." 

He  did  not  stop  to  explain,  or  indeed  even  to 
think  out  very  clearly  what  he  hoped  to  accom- 
plish by  this  means,  if  indeed  he  hoped  for  any- 
thing. His  sole  thought  was  to  provide  as  well  a£ 
he  might  against  the  immediate  danger  of  being 
washed  away  from  the  wreck. 

Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  slowly  the  tempest 
subsided.  The  cloud  had  passed  and  about  ten 
o'clock  at  night  the  moon  placidly  sailed  up  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  sky,  looking  as  peaceful  as  if 
there  had  been  no  raging  sea  below,  with  four 
well-nigh  exhausted  human  beings  clinging  for  a 
feeble  chance  of  life,  to  the  spars  of  a  wrecked 
ship. 

As  the  night  advanced  the  wind  went  down, 
and  when  morning  dawned  the  sea  too  was  moder- 
ate. As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see,  Max 
began  a  survey  of  the  situation.  The  island 
which  had  been  five  miles  or  more  alee  when  the 
hurricane  struck  the  ship,  was  now  considerably 
less  than  a  mile  distant.  The  ship  lay  on  her 
beam  ends.  The  mast  and  sail,  spread  upon  the 
water,  and  the  weight  of  her  centre-board  on  the 
other  side,  had  prevented  her  from  turning  com- 
pletely bottom  upwards,  and  so  as  Max  faced  the 

182 


A  WHITE  SQUALL 


now  perpendicular  wall  of  deck,  he  saw  the  bale 
marked  Circle  X  hanging  almost  over  his  head, 
for  its  lashings  had  held  fast  through  all  the 
period  of  stress.  After  examining  the  situation, 
Max  called  to  Billy : 

"  Cut  that  starboard  shroud  stay  close  to  the 
point  of  the  mast." 

The  starboard  shroud  stay  was  a  stout  rope 
reaching  from  the  top  of  the  mast  to  the  bulwark 
on  the  starboard  side  of  the  ship, — the  side  that 
was  now  uppermost,  the  ship  lying  on  her  port 
side.  When  Billy  cut  the  rope  near  the  top  of  the 
mast  which  was  now  in  the  water,  the  line  hung 
down  across  the  deck,  from  the  upper  bulwark  to 
the  water.  Max  took  out  his  jack-knife,  opened 
it  and  took  it  between  his  teeth.  Then  he  seized 
the  dangling  rope  and  by  great  exertion,  with  his 
feet  pressing  against  the  vertical  deck,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  precious  bale.  With  a  few 
sharp  cuts  he  freed  it  from  its  lashings,  and  it 
fell  into  the  sea. 

"  Make  it  fast  to  the  rigging,  boys,  so  that  it 
can't  float  away,"  he  commanded.  Then  he  slid 
down  the  rope  into  the  water.  Swimming  to  the 
mast,  he  threw  himself  upon  it  and  rested  for  a 
brief  while  from  the  severe  exertion  of  his  climb 
up  the  deck.  When  he  had  got  his  breath  again, 
Billy  asked  him : 

i83 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do,  Max  ?  Are  you 
going  to  blow  up  the  bale?  " 

"  No — not  so  long  as  there  is  the  remotest 
chance  of  delivering  it  at  its  destination.  We're 
going  to  take  it  ashore." 

"But  how?" 

"  By  swimming." 

"When?" 

"  Just  as  soon  as  the  sea  grows  a  little  calmer. 
We  are  a  good  deal  exhausted,  but  we  are  strong 
swimmers,  and  the  bale  will  support  us  whenever 
we  want  to  rest.  It  is  not  much  more  than  half 
a  mile  to  the  island." 

"  Here,  Max,"  said  George,  managing  to  draw 
a  match  box  out  of  his  pocket,  as  he  lay  half  over 
the  floating  mast.  "  Take  that.  You'll  want  fire 
and  that  box  is  water  proof,  and  even  damp  proof. 
It  has  several  hundred  of  the  best  wax  matches 
in  it." 

"  But  why  not  carry  it  yourself?  " 

"  Because  I  must  bid  you  boys  good-bye  here. 
I  am  too  weak  with  fever  to  swim  so  great  a 
distance." 

"  But  you  needn't  swim  a  stroke,"  said  Max. 
"  You'll  have  nothing  to  do  but  hold  on  to  a  loop. 
We'll  do  the  swimming." 

"  Of  course  we  will,"  answered  the  other  two 
in  a  breath.    Then  Tibe  added : 

184 


A  WHITE  SQUALL 


"  Do  you  imagine  we're  going  to  let  our  pris- 
oner escape  in  any  such  fashion  as  that?  " 

"  Fellows,"  said  the  boy,  "  there  certainly  never 
were  kinder  friends  than  you've  been  to  me.  I 
thank  you." 

He  could  say  no  more  at  the  moment.  And 
no  more  was  necessary. 

Max  and  the  boys  immediately  began  making 
their  preparations.  Cutting  off  pieces  of  rope 
from  the  rigging,  each  about  twenty  or  thirty 
inches  in  length,  they  managed,  though  with  much 
difficulty,  to  pass  one  end  of  each  under  one  of  the 
ties  or  ropes,  that  bound  the  bale  together.  Then 
tying  the  two  ends  together  they  had  a  securely 
fastened  loop  by  which  to  hold  on  to  the  bale. 
They  made  a  dozen  of  these  loops,  placing  them 
on  different  sides  of  the  bale,  so  that  no  matter 
which  side  of  it  should  be  uppermost  the  swim- 
mers would  have  rope  loops  ready  to  their  hands. 

It  was  noon  or  later,  before  all  was  ready. 
Just  then  it  occurred  to  Max  that  none  of  them 
had  had  food  for  twenty-four  hours,  their  last 
meal  having  been  eaten  at  noon  on  the  day  before. 
Bidding  the  others  rest  themselves,  he  swam  to 
the  stern  of  the  ship  and  endeavored  to  climb 
somehow  to  the  companionway  hatch,  where  their 
food  supplies  were  bestowed  in  a  locker. 

"It  is  of  no  use,  boys,"  he  said,  when  after 

185 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

awhile  he  gave  up  the  attempt  and  swam  back  to 
the  sail.  "  I  hoped  I  might  be  able  to  reach  the 
locker  and  get  something  for  us  to  eat  before 
undertaking  our  swim.  But  it's  of  no  use.  So 
cut  the  bale  loose  and  we'll  be  off.  But  wait  a 
minute." 

With  that  he  cut  off  a  long  piece  from  one  of 
the  halyards,  passed  it  once  around  the  wounded 
boy,  under  his  arms,  and  then  made  the  two  ends 
of  it  fast  to  one  of  the  loops  on  the  cotton  bale. 

"  There !  "  he  said,  when  all  was  done ;  "  now 
even  if  you  grow  too  weak  to  hold  on,  you  can't 
sink,  and  neither  can  you  drift  away." 

Even  in  this  distressful  situation,  Tibe's  spirits 
and  playfulness  did  not  desert  him.  Perhaps  that 
was  fortunate,  for  the  boys  needed  something  of 
the  kind  to  keep  them  cheerful. 

"  What  a  rebellious  prisoner  you  are,  George," 
he  said.  "  This  is  the  second  time  Max  has  had 
to  tie  you  to  keep  you  from  escaping  from  our 
clutches.  And  half  an  hour  ago  you  wanted  us 
to  go  ashore  and  leave  you  here.  Who  knows 
but  that  you'd  have  swum  to  the  South  Carolina 
coast  ? " 

George  smiled  feebly,  for  he  was  now  in  a  con- 
siderable fever  and  excessively  weak. 


1 86 


F 


CHAPTER  XIX 
Ashore 

UNFORTUNATELY  the  tide  is  with  us," 
said  Max,  when  the  swimmers  with  the 
bale  marked  Circle  X,  were  well  clear 
of  the  wreck. 

"  How  do  you  know,  Max?  "  asked  Billy. 

"  By  the  surf  that  I  see  beating  on  the  shore, 
for  one  thing,"  he  answered.  "  You  see  the  sea 
is  now  quite  as  calm  as  if  there  had  been  no  storm 
yesterday,  and  yet  I  can  see  a  white  line  of  surf 
on  the  shore.  Besides  I  know  about  when  the 
tide  ought  to  begin  the  flood  to-day.  The  nauti- 
cal almanac  tells  all  that,  and  I've  studied  it  pretty 
carefully  ever  since  we  left  Charleston." 

"  You're  a  wonder,  Max,"  said  Billy.  "  And 
you  promised  to  explain  something  about  tides 
to  us  a  while  ago — " 

"  Mr.  Chairman,"  broke  in  Tibe,  "  I  rise,  or 
sink,  to  a  point  of  order.  I  submit  that  at  this 
present  moment  we  are  much  too  damp  to—" 

"  Oh,  be  still,  Tibe,"  interrupted  Billy.  "  You 
know  I  didn't  mean  now." 

187 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Stop  talking,  both  of  you !  "  commanded 
Max.  "  Save  your  breath  for  swimming.  You'll 
need  all  of  it." 

And  indeed  they  did  need  it.  It  was  very  hard 
and  very  slow  work  to  push  the  half  sunken  bale 
of  cotton  through  the  water,  and  the  boys  were 
weak  and  exhausted  for  lack  of  food  and  by 
reason  of  their  long  stay  in  the  water  and  their 
exertions  to  hold  fast  to  the  wreck  throughout  a 
long  night.  Had  the  water  been  cold  they  must 
long  ago  have  succumbed.  But  the  water  in  the 
Bahamas  is  tepid,  so  that  immersion  in  it  pro- 
duces no  shock. 

Max  had  so  arranged  George's  lashings,  that 
the  wounded  boy  lay  across  the  bale  with  only  his 
legs  in  the  water,  thus  sparing  him  the  exertion 
even  of  hanging  on.  The  other  boys  rested  fre- 
quently from  active  swimming,  by  holding  on  to 
the  loops,  and  letting  themselves  float.  They  did 
this  one  at  a  time  however,  the  others  continuing 
to  swim,  so  that  their  slow  progress  toward  the 
shore  might  not  at  any  time  stop.  For  they  all 
realized  that  they  must  make  the  shore  before  the 
turn  of  the  tide.  They  could  never  have  breasted 
a  receding  tide,  and  should  they  fail  to  reach 
shore  before  the  ebb  began,  they  must  remain  in 
the  water  for  six  hours  at  least,  awaiting  another 
flood.     They  knew  well  that  they  could  not  do 

188 


ASHORE 


that  even  should  the  weather  remain  quiet  and 
the  sea  calm,  which  might  easily  not  be  the  case. 

Max  closely  scrutinized  the  coast  of  the  island 
as  they  drew  near  to  it.  Presently  he  said — and 
it  was  the  first  word  that  had  been  spoken  for 
hours — 

11  There's  a  little  bay  just  off  to  the  right.  We 
must  change  our  course  and  make  the  mouth  of 
that.  It  would  be  difficult  to  get  through  the 
surf  along  this  exposed  shore." 

The  boys  saw  the  wisdom  of  the  suggestion, 
although  it  would  prolong  their  swim  somewhat. 
So  swimming  with  all  the  strength  they  had  left 
they  pushed  the  bale  toward  the  mouth  of  the 
bay  and  finally  entered  it. 

It  was  only  a  diminutive  indentation,  but  it  was 
at  any  rate  a  land-locked  harbor.  That  is  to  say 
one  of  the  points  of  land  that  formed  its  mouth, 
curved  southwardly  so  as  to  form  a  barrier  be- 
tween the  sea  outside  and  the  quiet  waters  of  the 
little  bay. 

Once  inside  this  hook,  the  boys  found  the  water 
almost  as  still  as  that  of  a  pond.  They  easily 
pushed  the  bale  marked  Circle  X  to  the  shore  and 
grounded  it. 

"  Now,"  said  Max,  untying  George's  lashings, 
and  gently  carrying  him  to  a  bit  of  smooth 
ground,  "  you  lie  there,  George,  and  take  a  good 

189 


THE  BALE  MARKED    CIRCLE  X 

rest.  Here,  Billy,  take  this  rope,"  handing  him 
the  line  by  which  George  had  been  lashed  to  the 
bale,  "  and  make  the  bale  fast  to  that  little  sapling, 
so  that  the  outgoing  tide  shall  not  carry  it  away. 
Then  we'll  all  walk  along  shore  and  hunt  for 
shell  fish  or  something  else  to  eat." 

So  exhausted  were  the  boys  that  they  felt  this 
to  be  almost  a  cruel  order.  They  had  long  ago 
passed  that  point  of  starvation  where  one  ceases 
to  crave  food,  and  if  left  to  themselves,  they 
would  have  lain  down  at  once  to  sleep,  perhaps 
not  to  wake  again  in  this  world.  They  did  not 
fully  realize  their  condition.  They  felt  only  that 
they  wanted  to  be  still.  So  they  obeyed  Max's 
order  reluctantly  and  with  intelligences  so  dulled 
by  exhaustion  that  they  could  hardly  use  even 
their  eyes  in  the  search  for  food. 

"  Eat  a  few  of  the  first  shell  fish  you  find," 
enjoined  Max,  "  to  restore  your  strength.  But 
eat  only  a  very  few.  Your  appetites  will  come 
back  after  the  first  mouthful,  and  you'll  want  to 
eat  voraciously.  That  would  be  very  dangerous 
in  our  starved  condition." 

A  few  mussels  were  all  that  Tibe  and  Billy 
found,  and  opening  them  with  their  jack-knives, 
they  swallowed  perhaps  half  a  dozen  apiece.  In- 
stantly their  craving  for  food  came  back  with  such 
intensity  that  had  there  been  a  supply  at  hand, 

190 


ASHORE 


both  would  have  overeaten  dangerously.  For- 
tunately they  had  found  very  little  when  they 
heard  Max,  who  had  gone  up  the  shore  while 
they  had  gone  down  it,  calling  to  them.  They 
went  toward  him  and  just  before  reaching  the 
point  where  George  lay,  Billy  found  a  few  more 
mussels.  He  thought  of  George  and  saved  them 
for  him.  As  he  passed  the  boy,  who  was  too 
feverish  to  sleep,  he  opened  the  bivalves  and  fed 
them  to  him.  Then  both  the  boys  went  on  to 
answer  Max's  call.  When  they  reached  him  they 
found  him  breaking  off  great  blocks  of  oysters 
from  a  coral  bank,  with  a  club.  In  that  region 
of  abundant  sea  life,  the  oysters  are  often  found 
in  this  way,  in  great  banks,  their  shells  attached 
to  each  other  in  a  mass,  and  the  whole  mass  at- 
tached to  a  bank  or  to  anything  else  that  the 
oysters  can  find  to  cling  to. 

Finding  that  his  comrades  had  already  eaten 
some  mussels,  Max  forbade  them  to  eat  any  of 
the  oysters  as  yet. 

"  You  must  digest  the  mussels  first,"  he  told 
them.  "  Your  stomachs  are  very  weak  from 
starvation.  You  must  give  them  a  chance.  So 
off  with  your  flannel  shirts.  Tie  the  sleeves 
around  the  neck  so  as  to  make  bags  of  the  shirts, 
and  fill  them  full  of  oysters." 

By  this  time  the  food  the  boys  had  swallowed, 

i9i 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

began  to  have  its  effect  in  strengthening  them 
and  in  arousing  them  from  the  half  stupor  which 
had  come  upon  them  as  soon  as  they  were  safely 
ashore.  They  obeyed  Max's  order  with  some 
show  of  interest,  and  together  the  three,  making 
repeated  trips  to  and  from  the  oyster  bank,  soon 
piled  up  two  or  three  bushels  of  the  oysters  in 
their  shells,  at  the  place  of  landing. 

After  a  little  while  Max  permitted  some  fur- 
ther eating,  cautioning  his  companions  to  eat  very 
slowly,  allowing  a  little  time  to  elapse  after  swal- 
lowing one  oyster,  before  beginning  to  open  the 
next.  Thus  slowly  they  consumed  about  a  dozen 
large  oysters  each,  and  their  energies  rapidly  re- 
vived. 

They  had  had  no  water  now  for  nearly  thirty 
hours,  and  at  first  the  water  in  the  oysters  some- 
what slaked  their  parching  thirst.  But  it  was 
salt  water,  and  of  course  in  the  end  it  only  aggra- 
vated thirst.  So  all  three  set  out  to  search  for 
fresh  water. 

"  We'll  find  some  not  far  away,"  said  Billy, 
whose  spirits  were  coming  back.  "  For,  from  ap- 
pearances, that  squall  of  yesterday  drenched  this 
island  with  a  heavy  rain  storm,  and  of  course  there 
will  be  pools  somewhere  around." 

Billy  was  right  and  several  little  rainwater  res- 
ervoirs were  soon  found.     The  boys  lay  flat  upon 

192 


ASHORE 

the  ground  and  eagerly  drank  from  these  supplies. 
Then  arose  the  question  of  how  to  take  some  of 
the  water  to  George,  for  they  had  no  vessel  of  any 
kind  in  which  to  carry  it.  Not  only  had  they  no 
cups  or  pails,  but  they  had  not  even  a  hat  or  cap 
among  them,  their  head  gear  having  been  lost  in 
the  storm  of  the  day  before. 

"  It's  a  case  of  Mahomet  and  the  mountain/' 
said  Tibe.  "  If  we  can't  take  the  water  to  George, 
we  can  bring  George  to  the  water,  and  I'm  going 
to  do  it." 

So  the  young  giant  went  to  the  wounded  boy, 
now  too  weak  to  walk,  lifted  him  tenderly  and 
carried  him  to  the  nearest  of  the  pools.  With  the 
thirst  of  fever  upon  him,  as  well  as  the  thirst  of 
long  abstinence  from  water,  the  boy  drank  eagerly, 
almost  frantically,  until,  for  the  sake  of  prudence, 
Tibe  restrained  him.  When,  after  repeated  drink- 
ing, his  thirst  was  at  last  allayed,  the  boy  turned 
upon  his  back  and  said :  "  Thank  you,  Tibe ! 
I  think  if  you  fellows  don't  mind,  I'll  stay  here 
and  sleep  awhile." 

"  No,  you  must  not,"  said  Max.  "  There's  a 
good  deal  of  vegetable  growth  here,  and  there  may 
be  malaria — indeed  there  pretty  certainly  is.  The 
only  safe  place  to  stay — especially  for  you  with 
your  tendency  to  fever, — is  down  there  by  the 
salt  water." 

193 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  And  I  promise,"  said  Tibe,  "  to  carry  you  to 
the  pool  every  time  you  want  a  drink,  if  it's  a 
dozen  times  a  night,  as  it  very  probably  will  be." 

"  I  never  knew  better  friends  in  my  life  than 
you  enemies  are,"  said  George  gratefully,  as  Tibe 
again  lifted  and  carried  him. 

"  Oh,  well,"  answered  Tibe,  "  there  never  was 
a  fellow  who  deserved  friendship  more  than  you 
do." 

"  That  is  certainly  so !  "  broke  in  Billy.  "  Now 
you  fellows  go  back  to  the  shore  and  pick  out  the 
softest  places  you  can  for  us  to  sleep  on.  I'm 
going  to  gather  up  some  dry  wood.  We're  as  wet 
as  drowned  rats,  and  we  need  a  fire." 

"  Right,  Billy,"  said  Max.  "  Til  help  you  in 
getting  the  wood." 

There  were  no  very  large  trees  in  that  part  of 
the  island,  but  there  was  an  abundance  of  stunted 
growth,  so  that  if  the  boys  had  had  an  ax,  there 
would  have  been  no  difficulty  in  quickly  providing 
themselves  with  fuel.  As  it  was,  having  only 
their  jack-knives,  they  must  depend  upon  fallen 
limbs,  and  such  brushwood  as  they  could  find. 
The  two  made  several  trips  to  what  they  now  be- 
gan to  call  the  camp,  each  time  carrying  large 
armfuls  of  such  wood  as  they  found.  Tibe  was 
not  there,  and  Max  and  Billy  at  last  began  to  won- 
der what  he  had  done  with  himself.    There  was 

194 


ASHORE 

no  occasion  for  uneasiness,  however,  and  so  they 
proceeded  to  build  a  fire,  just  as  the  sun  went 
down.  Night  followed  almost  instantly,  without 
any  intervening  twilight,  as  it  always  does  in 
those  low  latitudes,  and  still  Tibe  did  not  return. 

"  I  wonder/'  said  Billy  after  a  while,  "  if  it 
is  possible  that  exhaustion  and  the  prolonged 
strain  of  anxiety,  have  driven  Tibe  out  of  his 
head?" 

"  That  is  extremely  unlikely,"  answered  Max. 
"  Tibe  isn't  the  sort  of  fellow  whose  brain  gives 
way  easily.  Still  if  he  doesn't  return  by  the  time 
the  moon  rises,  we'll  search  for  him.  It's  too 
dark  to  find  our  way  about  now.  In  the  mean- 
time we'll  roast  and  eat  a  few  dozen  of  these 
oysters." 

But  just  as  they  were  laying  the  first  of  their 
oysters  on  the  coals,  Tibe  came  striding  along  the 
shore,  and  upon  reaching  the  fire  he  sat  down 
heavily,  like  the  very  weary  young  man  that  he 
was. 

The  other  two  asked  him  a  dozen  questions  in 
a  breath  as  to  where  he  had  been,  what  he  had 
been  doing  and  the  like. 

Instead  of  answering,  Tibe  reached  out  to  the 
fire,  took  up  an  oyster  which  was  just  opening  its 
shell  under  the  influence  of  the  heat,  and  devoured 
it.     He  did  this  half  a  dozen  times  before  he 

'95 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

spoke,  in  the  meantime  replenishing  the  supply 
of  oysters  on  the  coals.  At  last,  having  some- 
what satisfied  his  appetite,  he  explained. 

"  I  went  along  down  the  shore,"  he  said,  "  to 
see  if  I  couldn't  find  some  more  substantial  wood 
than  this  brush,  and  I  found  it.  There  has  been 
a  wreck  down  there — I  don't  mean  the  Sairey 
Ann's, — and  the  shore  is  strewn  with  wreckage. 
I  should  judge  that  the  wreck  occurred  a  good 
while  ago,  and  that  it  was  a  schooner  loaded  with 
lumber  that  came  ashore.  Anyhow  I've  got  a 
lot  of  the  stuff  together,  and  we'll  make  a  raft  of 
it  and  tow  it  up  here  into  the  bay  in  a  day  or 
two — sometime  when  the  sea  is  behaving  itself 
like  a  good  little  sea.  Now  I'm  going  to  sleep. 
By  the  way,  George,  do  you  want  some  water?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  answered  the  boy.  "  I  can  get  on 
without  it." 

"  That  means  that  you  do  want  some  water, 
but  don't  want  to  trouble  me.     So  here  goes." 

With  that  he  picked  up  the  wounded  boy,  and 
utterly  worn  out  as  he  was,  he  staggered  through 
the  undergrowth  to  the  water  pool.  Returning 
he  carefully  disposed  of  the  boy,  and  then  threw 
himself  down  flat  on  his  back.  In  an  instant  he 
was  asleep. 


196 


CHAPTER  XX 
Exploration  and  a  Discovery 

THE  sun,  the  wind  and  the  heat  of  the  fire 
had  pretty  well  dried  out  the  clothing  of 
the  party  before  they  went  to  sleep,  and 
so  they  slept  soundly  throughout  the  night.  But 
with  the  sun's  rising  they  all  awoke,  and  began 
throwing  oysters  into  the  fire.  They  were  stiff 
in  all  their  joints  and  sore  in  all  their  muscles. 
More  distressing  still,  was  the  dull  lassitude  into 
which  their  minds  had  fallen.  For  the  long  strain 
of  anxiety  had  wearied  their  minds  even  more  than 
their  severe  physical  exercise  had  tired  their 
bodies. 

Billy  was  the  first  to  throw  off  this  dulness  in 
some  degree.  While  the  breakfast  of  oysters  was 
in  progress,  he  "  shook  himself  together  "  as  he 
phrased  it,  and  set  himself  to  the  task  of  arousing 
his  comrades. 

"  An  oyster  breakfast  is  an  excellent  thing  in 
its  way,"  he  said,  philosophically,  "  but  when  it 
comes  to  three  meals  a  day  on  oysters  with  noth- 
ing else,  it  promises  to  become  monotonous  after 

197 


THE  BALE    MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

a  while.  Rouse  yourselves,  you  fellows,  and  let's 
do  a  little  thinking.  Does  it  occur  to  you  that  our 
present  situation  is  a  very  perilous  one?" 

The  suggestion  had  the  effect  Billy  intended  it 
to  have.  The  thought  of  the  difficulties  that  con- 
fronted them  roused  the  boys'  attention,  and  set 
them  thinking,  "  just  as  shaking  a  watch  when  it 
is  wound  up  too  tight  makes  it  go,"  Billy  said. 

"  You  are  right,  Billy,"  said  Max.  "  We  must 
be  up  and  doing.  We  are  castaways  on  an  island 
which  I  take  to  be  uninhabited.  Indeed  it  is  al- 
most certainly  so.  Certainly  it  isn't  often  visited 
by  ships  if  it  ever  is,  which  I  doubt.  It  is  too 
small  for  that.  We  must  stay  here  for  a  long 
time,  at  any  rate." 

"  We're  regular  Robinson  Crusoes,"  said  Tibe, 
whose  inexhaustible  cheerfulness  had  returned. 
11 1  always  liked  to  read  that  ancient  mariner's 
story  of  his  adventures,  but  I  confess  I  never 
longed  to  repeat  them  on  my  own  account." 

"  No,"  said  Max.  "  But  that  necessity  seems 
to  be  thrust  upon  us,  and  we  must  make  the  best 
of  it.  The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  face  the  situation 
and  see  what  it  is  and  where  we  stand.  My 
father  used  to  tell  me,  when  he  was  teaching  me 
mathematics,  that  to  understand  the  exact  terms 
of  a  problem  clearly,  was  the  first  and  most  neces- 
sary condition  of  solving  it.     '  Without  that,'  he 

198 


EXPLORATION  AND  DISCOVERY 

would  say,  '  you're  sure  to  make  false  steps  and  to 
lead  your  mind  astray/  Now  we  can't  afford  to 
make  any  false  steps,  so  our  first  business  is  to 
find  out  clearly  what  the  conditions  of  our  problem 
are.  To  that  end  we  must  first  of  all  explore  the 
island  thoroughly  today  to  find  out  whether  or 
not  it  is  inhabited,  and  still  more  to  discover  what 
its  resources  are  in  the  way  of  food.  For  of  course 
we  can't  go  on  indefinitely  living  on  oysters  and 
nothing  else." 

"  And  water,  too,"  added  Billy.  "  We  must 
find  a  more  trustworthy  water  supply  than  we 
have  at  present,  for  unless  it  rains  again  soon 
these  little  pools  will  all  dry  up.  We  must  find 
a  stream  of  some  sort  if  there  is  one  anywhere  on 
the  island." 

"  But  there  isn't,"  said  Max.  "  There  are  no 
streams  in  the  smaller  islands  of  the  Bahama 
group,  but  there  are  a  good  many  fresh  water 
springs  here  and  there." 

"  But  the  springs  must  make  streams,"  said 
Tibe.    "  Their  water  must  run  away  somewhere." 

"  It  does,"  said  Max.  "  It  runs  away  into  the 
ground.  You  see  these  islands  are  mere  coral 
reefs,  on  which  a  thin,  porous  soil  has  formed  in 
the  course  of  ages.  But  we  mustn't  go  into  that 
now.  We'll  look  for  springs  while  exploring  for 
food.    Now,  in  order  to  make  the  search  as  thor- 

199 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

t 

ough  as  possible,  we'll  divide,  each  of  us  going  in 
a  direction  different  from  that  of  the  others/' 

"As  for  George,"  said  Tibe,  "  we'll  leave  him 
to  keep  camp  and  see  to  it  that  none  of  our  valu- 
able belongings  are  stolen  in  our  absence.  Do  you 
want  some  water,  George,  before  we  start?  " 

"  No,  thank  you,  Tibe.  My  fever  seems  to  have 
left  me,  and  my  leg  is  far  less  painful  than  it  was. 
If  I  want  water  while  you're  gone,  I  can  hop  to 
the  spring  on  my  good  leg." 

The  island  was  indeed  very  small — covering 
only  a  few  thousand  acres, — about  the  size  of  an 
ordinary  plantation  in  our  southern  states.  The 
boys  found  it  completely  without  inhabitants,  but 
Max  discovered  the  remains  of  an  old  house,  and 
some  other  evidences  that  it  had  once  been  culti- 
vated. Probably  it  had  been  deserted  because  of 
the  thinness  of  the  soil,  as  a  plantation  unprofit- 
able to  till.  Fortunately  some  of  the  things  once 
cultivated  there  were  still  growing  wild  in  fa- 
vored localities,  and  on  their  return  to  camp  Tibe 
and  Billy  brought  their  shirts  full  of  such  fruits 
as  they  could  find.  Among  these  were  some 
oranges,  not  yet  quite  as  ripe  as  they  should  be, 
some  pomegranates,  and  several  kinds  of  fruit 
of  which  they  did  not  know  the  names,  but  which 
they  depended  upon  Max's  knowledge  of  hot-cli- 
mate fruit  to  recognize  as  edible   or    otherwise. 

2O0 


EXPLORATION  AND  DISCOVERY 

Billy  also  brought  some  small  nubbins  of  Indian 
corn  that  had  grown  wild.  When  Max  arrived, 
a  little  later,  he  brought  with  him  a  richer  spoil. 
He  drew  forth  from  his  shirt  first  some  sweet 
potatoes  and  after  that  some  curiously  gnarled, 
branching  roots,  a  foot  or  so  in  general  length 
and  four  or  five  inches  thick. 

"  What  on  earth  did  you  bring  those  tree  roots 
for?"  asked  Billy. 

"  Because  they  are  the  most  valuable  vegetable 
food  that  we  could  have,"  the  leader  answered. 

"  Are  those  things  good  to  eat  ?  I  should  as 
soon  have  thought  of  an  old  stump  as  a  food 
supply.     What  are  they  anyhow  ?  " 

"  Yams,"  said  Max,  "  and  the  best  of  it  is  that 
there's  more  where  these  came  from." 

"  Yams  ?  Why,  I  thought  a  yam  was  simply 
a  yellow  sweet  potato." 

"  Yellow  sweet  potatoes  are  often  called  yams," 
answered  Max,  "  but  improperly.  These  are  real, 
West  India  yams,  and  when  we  roast  them  you'll 
find  them  about  the  best  substitute  for  bread  that 
you  ever  saw.  It  is  lucky  there  are  more  of  them 
in  what  I  suppose  was  once  a  garden  up  there  on 
the  northern  end  of  the  island.  I  find  too  that 
the  place  is  alive  with  wild  animals  and  birds.  We 
must  devise  some  way  of  catching  some  as  a  meat 
supply  if  we  can." 

20 1 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Of  course  this  bay  is  full  of  fish/'  said  Billy, 
"  if  we  could  only  catch  them.  But  we  can't. 
We've  no  tackle.,, 

"  I've  got  half  a  dozen  good  hooks,"  said  Tibe, 
drawing  a  parcel  from  his  pocket.  "  I  was  fishing 
when  our  orders  came,  and  I  forgot  to  leave  these 
at  Bluffton.  But  of  course  they  are  useless  with- 
out lines.,, 

"  Possibly  we  might  make  some  sort  of  lines 
out  of  the  pieces  of  rope  we  have,"  said  Max. 

"  Or,  much  better  still,  out  of  some  of  the  cotton 
in  the  bale  marked  Circle  X,"  suggested  Billy. 
"  We'll  try  that  anyhow  when  we  get  settled.  I 
thought  when  I  left  Bluffton  that  I  never  wanted 
to  taste  a  fish  again  while  I  lived,  but  now  I'm 
hungry  for  one." 

In  the  meantime  Max  had  placed  a  big  yam  in 
the  hot  ashes  to  roast,  for  it  was  now  about  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  and  the  company  was 
hungry. 

"  The  'tide  is  coming  in,"  said  one  presently. 
"  Don't  you  think,  Max,  we'd  better  roll  the  bale 
marked  Circle  X  a  little  farther  up  on  the  beach  ? 
It  needs  drying  out." 

Max  accepted  the  suggestion  and  the  bale  was 
soon  well  up  on  the  shore.  From  where  it  lay, 
and  indeed  from  all  points  on  that  side  of  the  little 
bay  where  the  boys  had  made  their  camp,  it  was 

202 


EXPLORATION  AND  DISCOVERY 

impossible  to  see  the  ocean  outside,  because  of  the 
hook  of  the  shore  that  landlocked  the  bay.  But 
they  were  too  tired  with  their  day's  exploration, 
to  go  to  the  outer  beach  at  present,  to  bring  away 
any  of  the  lumber  and  wreckage  which  Tibe  had 
found  the  evening  before.  They  threwT  them- 
selves down  on  their  backs  to  rest  while  waiting 
for  the  big  yam  to  roast. 

After  a  while  Billy  raised  himself  to  a  sitting 
posture,  intending  to  look  to  the  fire  a  little.  In- 
stantly he  called  out : 

"Hello!    What's  that?" 

The  others  were  on  their  feet  in  a  moment,  and 
as  they  looked  they  saw  the  wreck  of  their  ship 
drifting,  side  on  to  the  wind,  around  the  hook 
of  land  and  into  the  bay. 

"  Bless  my  soul !  "  exclaimed  Tibe,  "  it's  the 
Sairey  Ann! " 

It  was  true  enough.  Wind  and  tide  had  caused 
the  wreck  to  drift  ashore,  and  as  the  incoming  tide 
ran  more  strongly  through  the  narrow  entrance  to 
the  bay  than  upon  the  open  coast,  the  Sarah  Ann 
came  rapidly  through  the  mouth  of  the  little  har- 
bor. She  was  still  on  her  beam  ends,  her  mast 
and  sail  lying  upon  the  water  and  supporting  her 
in  that  position,  while  her  centre-board  stuck  out 
from  her  keel. 

"  The  old  girl  has  been  looking  for  her  runaway 

203 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

boys/'  said  Tibe,  "  and  she  has  found  us.  Won- 
der what  she'll  do  to  us  now  that  we're  caught/' 

In  an  instant  Max  was  out  of  his  clothes  and 
in  the  water.  Swimming  out  to  the  sloop — the 
distance  was  small — he  swam  all  around  her  care- 
fully inspecting.  The  other  boys  had  promptly 
followed  him.  The  boat  lay  on  her  side,  more 
than  a  third  of  her  being  under  water.  But  she 
seemed  in  no  way  battered,  at  least  on  that  part 
of  her  hull  which  was  out  of  water.  "  And  that 
was  the  weather  side  when  the  squall  struck  us/' 
Max  reflected. 

After  a  little  he  climbed  up  on  the  foot  of  the 
prostrate  mast,  where  it  joined  the  deck,  and  called 
to  the  others  to  follow. 

"  Bend  that  line  on  to  the  anchor/'  he  ordered, 
"  while  I  make  the  other  end  of  it  fast  to  the  deck 
post." 

It  was  a  difficult  task,  for  the  hold  of  each  boy 
was  slender  and  their  footing  on  the  mast  very 
slippery.  But  after  half  an  hour's  hard  work 
punctuated  by  many  falls  into  the  water,  it  was 
accomplished.  Then  Max  swam  ashore,  bidding 
the  others  stay  where  they  were.  Presently  he 
came  swimming  back,  holding  his  open  jack-knife 
between  his  teeth. 

"Here,  Tibe,"  he  said,  "  you're  the  tallest.  Take 
this  knife  in  your  teeth,  get  the  highest  foothold 

204 


EXPLORATION  AND  DISCOVERT 

you  can,  and  see  if  you  can't  cut  the  lashings  of 
the  anchor.  But  look  out  for  yourself  when  it 
drops.     Don't  let  the  anchor  line  strike  you." 

The  anchor  was  securely  lashed  with  ropes  to 
the  starboard  gunwale — the  one  now  uppermost 
— to  keep  it  from  sliding  about  the  deck  in  a  heavy 
sea,  and  as  the  boat  now  lay  on  her  side,  of  course 
the  anchor  would  drop  into  the  water  the  moment 
the  lashings  were  cut.  But  Tibe's  efforts  to  reach 
the  lashings  proved  futile.  From  the  highest  foot- 
holds he  could  secure,  he  could  not  reach  the 
anchor.  At  last  Billy,  who  had  been  studying  the 
problem  intently, called  out: 

"  You  can't  do  it,  Tibe,  but  I  can." 

The  boys  laughed  a  little  at  the  idea  of  little 
Billy  being  able  to  reach  where  his  very  tall  com- 
panion could  not,  but  they  did  not  understand 
Billy's  plan.  Billy  was  a  notable  climber.  Tak- 
ing the  knife  from  Tibe  and  placing  it  between 
his  teeth,  he  swam  to  the  bow  of  the  sloop.  There, 
after  two  or  three  failures,  he  managed  to  secure 
a  foothold  on  the  bowsprit  and  to  lay  his  person 
along  the  curved  and  slippery  starboard  bow.  Af- 
ter resting  for  a  minute,  he  began  climbing  up  this 
and  soon  reached  the  rail,  along  which  it  was  easy 
to  crawl.  A  minute  later  he  had  cut  the  lashings, 
and  the  anchor  fell  into  the  sea. 

By  this  time  it  was  nearly  dark  and  the  boys 

205 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

swam  ashore  for  their  supper  of  yam  and  oysters, 
each  finishing  the  meal  with  an  orange. 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  do  with  the  Sairey 
Ann?"  asked  George,  who  was  now  feeling  well 
enough  to  join  the  others  at  supper,  though  his 
wound  was  still  terribly  inflamed  and  very  painful. 

"  I  don't  know  yet,"  answered  Max.  "  But 
now  that  we've  got  her  securely  anchored  in  a 
land-locked  harbor,  no  harm  can  come  to  her,  and 
we'll  have  time  to  study  out  the  problem  of  what 
to  do  with  her.  Anyhow  she  has  stores  aboard 
and  some  food,  and  perhaps  we  can  get  at  them 
in  some  way,  if  we  can  do  nothing  else.  But  all 
that  can  wait  for  morning.  We  must  go  to  sleep 
now.  Oh,  by  the  way,"  he  suddenly  added,  "  I 
found  a  spring  or  two,  but  they're  a  long  way  off, 
and  we've  nothing  to  carry  water  in." 

"  I  found  a  good  one  not  a  hundred  yards 
away,"  said  Tibe. 

"  Good !  Then  we  can  manage  that  matter  very 
well.     Are  you  comfortable,  George?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  good-night  then,  to  all  of  you." 


2o6 


CHAPTER  XXI 
An  All  Night  Vigil 

WEARY  as  he  was,  Max  did  not  sleep 
much  that  night.  He  went  to  sleep 
indeed,  but  when,  two  or  three  hours 
later,  the  moon  shone  in  his  face,  he  suddenly- 
waked,  and  try  as  he  might  he  could  not  woo 
sleep  again.  He  sat  up  for  a  while,  thinking, 
thinking,  thinking.  He  argued  with  himself  that 
the  thinking  should  be  postponed  till  morning, 
but  it  was  to  no  purpose.  He  tried  to  divert  his 
mind  by  repeating  poetry,  rhymes  and  nursery 
jingles,  but  in  vain.  His  mind  would  come  back 
again  immediately  to  the  problem  he  was  wrestling 
with  and  could  not  solve. 

Sometimes  he  would  rise  and  walk  down  to 
the  margin  of  the  water,  and  there  contemplate 
the  Sarah  Ann  as  she  lay  on  her  beam  ends  at 
anchor  in  the  bay.  Then,  with  a  shiver — for  the 
dew  was  heavy  and,  even  in  so  low  a  latitude,  a 
clear  night  is  apt  to  be  sharply  cool, — he  would 
return  to  the  little  brush-wood  fire  and  try  again 
to  sleep. 

207 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

After  a  while,  as  he  sat  there  brooding,  George 
Smith  sat  up  also,  and  with  much  of  tenderness 
in  his  voice  said : 

"  Max,  old  fellow,  you're  troubled  in  your 
mind,  and  like  the  generous  fellow  you  are,  you 
are  trying  to  fight  it  out  alone.  IVe  been  observ- 
ing you  for  an  hour,  and  now  I'm  going  to  share 
your  troubles  with  you.  So  tell  me  all  that  is  in 
your  mind.  You  see  we're  on  British  territory 
now,  and  I'm  no  longer  your  prisoner.  I'm  just 
your  friend." 

"  Thank  you,  George,  with  all  my  heart.  I'll 
tell  you  what  troubles  me,  if  you'll  put  your  hand 
on  my  shoulder,  and  hop  with  me  down  to  the 
water's  edge.  We  mustn't  wake  the  others  with 
our  talking." 

George  did  as  Max  had  asked,  and  the  two  sat 
down  near  the  margin  of  the  bay,  Max  first  kin- 
dling a  little  fire  from  a  brand  he  had  brought  in 
his  hand. 

"  There  is  a  fearful  load  of  responsibility  on  my 
shoulders,  George,  and  when  I  think  the  thing  over 
it  almost  appals  me.  Maybe  it  won't  seem  quite 
so  bad  when  daylight  comes  and  the  sun  shines. 
But  tonight  I  can't  see  my  way  out." 

"  Max,"  said  George,  "  do  you  remember  what 
you  said  to  us  yesterday  ?  " 

"No,  what  was  it?" 

208 


AN  ALL  NIGHT  VIGIL 

"  Why,  that  the  necessary  first  step  in  working 
out  a  problem  is  to  grasp  its  terms  and  condi- 
tions firmly  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes.  But  I  think  I  fully  understand  the 
terms  and  conditions  of  this  one  already.  If  it 
were  only  myself  that  was  concerned,  I  should 
go  to  sleep  and  trust  to  my  ingenuity  and  the 
chapter  of  accidents,  to  find  some  way  out.  But 
there  are  you  other  fellows — " 

"  Leave  me  entirely  out  of  the  reckoning.  My 
presence  here  is  merely  one  of  the  fortunes  of  war. 
You  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  except  that  you 
rescued  me  from  the  water  and  saved  my  life.  I 
confess  I  had  rather  be  here  at  this  moment  than 
lying  in  the  mud  at  the  bottom  of  that  creek,  and 
that  is  precisely  where  I  should  be  at  this  moment, 
if  you  hadn't  stopped  to  save  my  life  at  the  risk 
of  your  own.  So  you  must  leave  me  entirely  out, 
in  making  up  the  catalogue  of  your  responsibili- 
ties." 

"  You  are  always  generous,  George.  But  at 
any  rate  there  are  the  other  fellows.  I  am  cer- 
tainly responsible  for  them.  I  brought  them  into 
this  difficulty,  when  I  might  just  as  well  have 
brought  somebody  about  whom  I  care  a  good  deal 
less.    If  any  harm  comes  to  them, — " 

"  If  any  harm  comes  to  us,"  broke  in  Billy,  as 
he  and  Tibe  joined  the  other  two,  "  we  have  only 

209 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

ourselves  to  blame  for  it.  Now  look  here,  Max, 
you're  morbid  to-night.  You  forget  things.  Don't 
you  remember  that  Tibe  and  I  eagerly  wanted  to 
come  with  you  on  this  expedition  ?  Don't  you  re- 
member that  you  told  us  in  advance  that  the 
chances  were  nine  in  ten  against  our  ever  getting 
out  of  it  alive?  Didn't  we  volunteer  with  our 
eyes  wide  open?  Aren't  we  men,  and  soldiers, 
ready  to  risk  danger  and  meet  death  if  need  be, 
in  the  public  service?  Why  do  you  think  of  us 
now  as  a  couple  of  little  girls  whom  you  are  escort- 
ing and  for  whose  safety  you  are  responsible? 
Come,  Max,  shake  yourself  together." 

"  Billy  is  just  right,  Max,"  added  Tibe.  "  If 
you  persist  in  thinking  of  me  as  a  girl  baby  in 
your  charge,  you  must  immediately  provide  me 
with  a  bib.  Besides  I  resent  being  thought  of  in 
that  way.  Look  at  me,  Max  " — rising  to  his  full 
height;  "look  at  me!  Take  an  observation  of 
my  longitude!  Calculate  my  altitude  as  you  do 
that  of  the  North  Star,  and  then  tell  me  if  you 
think  I  need  anybody  to  take  care  of  me !  " 

"  Thank  you  boys,  all  of  you,"  said  Max.  "  Still 
I  am  the  captain  of  this  expedition,  and  as  such 
I  am  responsible  for  its  success  or  failure.  It  is 
my  duty  to  deliver  the  bale  marked  Circle  X.  It 
is  my  duty  so  to  manage  things  as  to  bring  those 
under  my  command  out  of  the  affair  in  safety. 

2IO 


AN  ALL  NIGHT  VIGIL 

And  now  that  we  are  in  a  peculiarly  embarrass- 
ing perplexity,  in  a  situation  from  which  there  is 
no  obvious  escape,  it  is  I  who  must  find  a  way  out, 
if  there  is  any  way  out." 

"  Now  you're  forgetting  something  else,"  said 
Billy.  "  What's  the  matter  with  your  memory  to- 
night, Max?" 

"  What  am  I  forgetting,  Billy?  " 

u  Why,  don't  you  remember  that  the  reason 
you  assigned  for  selecting  Tibe  and  me  to  go  with 
you,  was  that  you  wanted  fellows  wTho  would 
stand  by  you  in  difficulties,  and  help  you  find  a 
way  out?  And  didn't  we  pledge  ourselves  to  do 
just  that?  Now  if  you'll  shake  yourself  together 
a  bit,  you'll  see  that  while  it  is  your  right  and  duty 
to  command,  and  to  decide  what  course  is  best  in 
every  emergency,  it  is  my  duty  and  Tibe's  duty 
to  help  you,  to  think  out  ways  and  means,  to  use 
all  our  wits,  to  study  the  problem  as  closely  as  you 
do,  and  to  offer  the  very  best  suggestions  we  can." 

"  Well,  yes,  of  course — " 

"  Well,  yes,  of  course,"  interrupted  Billy.  "  You 
are  no  more  responsible  than  we  are,  no  more 
bound  than  we  are  to  find  ways  of  making  the 
expedition  successful.  And  as  for  any  responsi- 
bility for  our  safety — that's  driveling  nonsense. 
You  wouldn't  think  of  that  if  you  took  us  into 
battle.    You'd  order  us  to  whatever  position  you 

211 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

thought  best,  to  make  our  fighting  effective.  If 
we  should  get  shot  you'd  never  think  of  blaming 
yourself.  That's  just  the  way  you  must  look  at 
the  present  situation.  We're  '  in  a  tight  place ' 
as  the  saying  is.  But  it  is  not  your  fault.  You've 
done  the  best  you  could  for  the  service,  and  a  cer- 
tain measure  of  misfortune  has  overtaken  us. 
There's  no  use  in  bewailing  that,  and  certainly 
you  have  no  more  right  to  feel  that  you  are  re- 
sponsible for  any  ill  that  may  befall  us,  than  you 
would  have  to  feel  in  the  same  way  if  we  should 
be  shot  in  battle  while  under  your  command.'' 

Billy  spoke  earnestly,  almost  excitedly.  He  was 
determined  to  force  Max  to  throw  off  the  undue 
load  that  burdened  his  mind,  and  he  had  suc- 
ceeded. 

"  You  are  right,  Billy,  of  course,"  Max  said. 
"  I'll  try  to  look  at  things  in  that  way,  and  per- 
haps I'll  think  more  clearly  if  I  do.  At  any  rate 
I'll  have  the  benefit  of  your  thinking  and  Tibe's. 
We'll  work  out  a  way,  somehow.  I  have  been  in 
many  difficulties  of  one  kind  and  another,  and  I 
never  yet  failed  to  get  out." 

"  No,  and  we  won't  fail  this  time,"  said  Billy. 

"  Now,"  said  George,  who  had  been  silent  all 
this  while,  "  let  us  come  back  to  our  starting 
point.  We  have  a  difficult  problem  to  work  out 
— I  say  we,  because  I'm  going  to  help  all  I  can, 

212 


AN  ALL  NIGHT  VIGIL 

with  my  head,  as  I  would  help  physically  if  my 
leg  would  let  me.  I'm  a  free  man  now,  on  British 
soil,  and  I'm  your  companion  and  friend.  It  is 
true  that  your  expedition  is  in  a  sense  hostile  to 
that  cause  in  behalf  of  which  I  am  a  soldier,  and 
so  I  have  no  right  to  aid  you  in  it  for  the  sake 
of  making  you  successful.  But  I  have  an  entire 
right  to  aid  you  in  it  for  the  sake  of  saving  my 
own  life  and  the  lives  of  you  my  friends.  That's 
a  parenthesis.  Let  us  come  back  to  the  subject. 
We  have  a  difficult  problem  to  solve.  As  you 
truly  said  yesterday,  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to 
get  a  firm  grasp  of  its  terms  and  conditions.  So 
suppose  you  state  them,  Max,  as  exactly  as  you 
can." 

"  Well,"  said  the  young  captain,  "  we  have 
been  cast  ashore  on  an  uninhabited  island,  It  is 
an  island  that  ships  never  visit,  for  the  reason 
that  there  is  nothing  to  bring  them  hither.  So 
there  is  no  hope  of  rescue  in  that  way.  We  must 
stay  here  till  we  find  or  make  a  way  of  our  own 
for  our  escape.  The  food  supplies  on  the  island 
are  very  scant.  We  must,  therefore,  make  all  the 
haste  we  can  in  providing  the  means  of  getting 
away.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  food  on  board 
our  wrecked  ship,  and  we  must  find  a  way  of 
getting  at  that.  I'm  thinking  of  beaching  her  at 
high  tide." 

213 


THE  BALE  MARKED    CIRCLE  X 

"Is  she  very  badly  hurt?"  asked  George. 

"  No.  So  far  as  I  can  discover  she  is  not  hurt 
at  all  seriously.  Of  course  her  seams  must  be 
strained  a  good  deal,  but  if  there  were  any  way 
of  getting  her  right  side  up,  we  could  remedy  that. 
But  that's  the  trouble.  She's  on  her  beam  ends 
and—" 

"  Well,  I  have  an  idea,"  said  George.  "  It  may 
be  of  no  account,  and  probably  is  so,  for  I  know 
very  little  about  boats.     Still — " 

"  What  is  your  idea?  "  asked  Max. 

"  Suppose  we  should  pick  out  a  place  along 
shore  here,  where  the  bottom  is  smooth  and  level 
and  tow  her  in  there  at  high  tide.  Why  couldn't 
we  then  fasten  ropes  to  her  and  carry  them  to  the 
trees  on  shore.  Couldn't  we  then  perhaps  pull 
her  over  on  her  bottom  when  the  tide  goes  out?  " 

Max  thought  a  moment  before  answering.  Then 
he  said : 

"  Possibly  we  might,  especially  if  we  can  get 
at  a  block  and  tackle  on  board.  There  are  plenty 
of  such  things  in  the  lazaret,  if  we  can  get  at  them. 
Your  plan  is  well  worth  trying  anyhow,  George. 
But  as  the  cargo  has  shifted  badly,  it  will  be  ex- 
tremely difficult." 

"  Precisely  what  do  you  mean  by  cargo  shift- 
ing? "  asked  George.  "  You  see  I'm  very  ignor- 
ant of  sea  things." 

214 


AN  ALL  NIGHT  VIGIL 

■    ■■■—  ■  i 

"  Why,"  answered  Max,  "  when  a  ship  rolls 
over  to  one  side  or  the  other,  her  cargo  has  a 
strong  tendency  to  slip  down  to  the  side  that  is 
lowest  and  hold  it  down.  That's  about  the  worst 
thing  that  can  happen  to  a  ship  when  she  is  out 
at  sea.  It  is  apt  to  throw  her  on  her  beam  ends 
at  once,  rendering  her  practically  a  wreck,  just  as 
the  Sarah  Ann  now  is.  To  prevent  such  shifting 
of  cargo,  those  who  load  ships  take  very  great 
pains  to  secure  the  freight  immovably  in  its  place. 
When  a  ship  is  carrying  grain  in  bulk,  a  kind  of 
freight  that  shifts  upon  very  small  provocation, 
they  build  a  stout  floor  over  the  surface  of  the 
grain,  and  set  up  strong  posts  between  that  and 
the  deck  above.  Now  the  Sarah  Ann's  cargo  has 
undoubtedly  shifted,  though  I  did  not  think  that 
possible  when  we  left  Charleston.  That  is  what 
prevents  her  from  either  righting  herself  or  turn- 
ing completely  bottom  up.  Of  course  the  sail, 
lying  flat  on  the  water  helps  to  prevent  the  latter 
performance,  but  in  spite  of  that  she  would  turn 
over  one  wray  or  the  other  if  it  were  not  that  her 
cargo,  or  the  bulk  of  it,  has  shifted  to  port,  its 
weight  holding  her  in  her  present  position.  Any- 
how your  idea,  George,  has  the  germ  of  success  in 
it,  though  there  are  many  difficulties." 

"  What  are  some  of  them?  " 

"  The  centre-board  is  one.     You  see  it  was 

215 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

down  when  the  squall  struck  us,  and  so  it  now 
sticks  out  five  or  six  feet  from  the  keel.  Of  course 
we  can't  roll  the  boat  over  on  that,  and  if  we 
could  we  should  destroy  the  centre-board,  without 
which  the  boat  would  be  almost  useless,  and  en- 
tirely incapable  of  windward  work.  Then  again 
there  is  only  a  very  small  tide  in  this  bay — less 
than  two  feet  difference  between  high  and  low 
water,  and  so  we  can't  float  the  sloop  far  up  the 
beach  with  any  reasonable  hope  of  ever  getting 
her  off  again.  However,  we'll  study  all  that  by 
daylight,  which  is  nearly  on  us  now.  Let's  go 
back  and  get  some  sweet  potatoes  into  the  fire. 
Then  you  two  go  down  the  beach  and  get  a  fresh 
supply  of  oysters,  while  I  replenish  the  wood  pile. 
By  the  time  we've  done  that  the  potatoes  will  be 
done." 

"  It  is  astonishing,"  said  Billy  to  Tibe  as  they 
walked  down  the  beach,  "  how  quickly  Max's 
spirits  and  energies  came  back  the  moment  he  saw 
a  chance  to  work  with  some  hope." 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  tall  boy,  "  but  the  feel- 
ing that  he  is  not  alone  in  his  work  or  responsi- 
bility had  quite  as  much  effect  as  anything  else. 
That's  always  the  way  with  us  human  beings." 


2l6 


CHAPTER  XXII 
One  Day's  Work 

AFTER  breakfast  Max  swam  around  the 
wreck  three  or  four  times  pausing  now 
and  then,  and  holding  on  to  whatever 
offered,  while  he  studied  probabilities  and  possi- 
bilities. In  the  meanwhile  the  other  boys  waded 
along  the  shores  of  the  bay  to  find  the  gentlest 
slopes  of  the  beach  and  to  familiarize  themselves 
with  such  other  conditions  as  might  influence  them 
in  selecting  a  place  at  which  to  beach  the  Sarah 
Ann  if  Max  should  at  last  decide  to  beach  her. 
It  must  be  where  stout  young  trees  grew  near 
enough  to  the  water's  edge  to  serve  as  check  posts 
for  their  ropes  and  tackle.  It  must  be  where  no 
jutting  projections  of  the  coral  limestone  of 
which  the  island  was  composed,  might  interfere 
with  their  work  or  damage  the  boat. 

After  a  prolonged  survey  of  the  situation,  Max 
swam  ashore  and  called  the  boys  to  him. 

"  Now  then,  fellows,"  he  said  as  he  seated  him- 
self on  the  ground  for  a  brief  rest  after  his  long 
swim,  "  our  work  is  cut  out  for  us  for  today  and 

217 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

tomorrow.  And  perhaps  for  the  next  day  also, 
as  we  have  a  big  preliminary  task  before  us." 

"What  is  it,  Max?" 

"  Why,  we  must  go  down  the  shore  to  Tibe's 
lumber  piles  and  construct  a  stout,  buoyant  raft, 
and  tow  it  up  here.  We  shall  need  it  to  stand  upon 
while  we  work  on  the  Sairey  Ann,  There  is  a 
good  deal  of  hard  work  to  be  done  on  her  before 
we  think  of  beaching  her.  It  will  take  at  least 
two  days  to  get  the  raft  made  and  to  tow  it  up 
here,  if  indeed  it  doesn't  take  three  or  four  days. 
So  let's  be  off." 

"  Now  let  me  suggest,"  said  Billy,  "  that  as  it 
is  already  raining  a  little,  and  is  going  to  rain  a 
great  deal  more,  and  as  we  shall  have  to  work  in 
the  water  a  good  deal  of  the  time,  we  leave  our 
clothes  here,  covering  them  with  bushes  to  keep 
them  dry.  We'll  need  some  dry  things  to  put 
on  when  we  get  back." 

Billy's  suggestion  was  at  once  adopted  and 
George  volunteered  to  provide  some  sort  of  shelter 
for  the  clothing  to  be  left  behind,  thus  saving  the 
time  of  the  working  party. 

"  We  must  carry  our  jack-knives,"  said  Max, 
"  for  use  in  cutting  vines.  For  as  we  have  no 
nails  we  must  bind  our  raft  together  with  vines." 

So  with  nothing  on  them  except  their  boots — 
necessary  for  the  protection  of  their  feet  on  the 

2l8 


ONE  DATS  WORK 


rocks, — and  armed  with  their  jack-knives,  the  boys 
set  out.  But  before  they  had  got  beyond  hearing 
George  Smith  called  to  them  and  they  returned. 

"  Pardon  me,  Max,"  he  said,  "  but  I  have  a 
suggestion  to  make.  Won't  it  be  very  difficult, 
and  perhaps  impossible  for  you  three  fellows  to 
tow  a  big  raft  up  here  through  the  surf?  You 
see  the  shore  is  exposed  all  the  way  along  there." 

"  Of  course  it  will  be  very  difficult  and  perhaps 
impossible,"  answered  Max,  "  but  at  any  rate  we 
must  try  it.    There  is  nothing  else  for  us  to  do." 

"  I  do  not  see  that,"  said  George.  "  Why  not 
tow  your  timber  and  lumber  up  here  a  little  at 
a  time,  and  build  the  raft  here?  " 

"  How  stupid  of  me  not  to  have  thought  of 
that !  "  exclaimed  Max  in  disgust  with  himself. 
"  Of  course  that's  the  way  to  do  it.  Thank  you, 
George.  You  said  you  were  going  to  help,  and 
I'm  very  sure  you  are  doing  it." 

It  was  about  half  a  mile  to  the  point  where  the 
lumber  laden  ship  had  come  ashore.  That  had 
been  many  months  before,  and  so  a  good  deal  of 
the  timber  had  sunk  partly  into  the  sand,  so  that 
the  boys  had  to  dig  it  out,  using  shells  for  spades. 
This  was  particularly  the  case  with  some  heavy, 
squared  timbers,  of  which  Max  decided  that  they 
needed  at  least  three  as  a  foundation  frame  for 
the  raft.    With  earnest  work  the  boys  found  their 

219 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

spirits  rapidly  reviving,  and  as  they  squatted  there 
upon  the  sand  digging  with  shells,  Tibe  was  sud- 
denly struck  with  the  grotesqueness  of  their  ap- 
pearance, declaring  that  they  looked  precisely  like 
a  company  of  urchins  playing  in  the  sand  at  some 
seaside  resort. 

It  was  late  in  the  day  when  the  last  of  these 
three  timbers  was  lifted  out  of  its  sand  bed.  They 
were  about  nine  or  ten  inches  square  and  per- 
haps twenty-two  or  twenty-three  feet  long.  It 
was  still  raining  heavily  and  the  boys  were  ex- 
cessively weary.  They  began  to  realize  now,  how 
greatly  they  were  in  need  of  some  more  substantial 
food  than  oysters  and  sweet  potatoes.  It  had  been 
several  days  since  they  had  eaten  meat,  and 
their  strength  was  giving  way  under  the  combined 
influence  of  semi-starvation,  constant  exposure, 
and  very  hard  work. 

"  That's  all  we  can  do  today,  boys,"  said  Max, 
throwing  himself,  exhausted,  upon  the  beach. 
"  The  rest  must  wait  till  tomorrow,  and  indeed 
I  doubt  if  we  do  much  at  this  job  tomorrow.  We 
must  have  some  meat  to  eat,  and  I  think  we'll 
devote  tomorrow  to  an  effort  to  kill  or  capture 
some  animal  or  some  of  the  birds  on  the  island. 
We  need  strength  now,  more  than  anything  else. 
So  we'll  make  some  traps  and  deadfalls  tonight 
by  the  firelight  and  tomorrow  we'll   set  them. 

220 


ONE  DATS  WORK 


Lie  down  now  and  rest  a  little,  and  then  we'll  go 
to  camp." 

The  boys  did  so,  and  within  a  few  minutes  they 
were  all  sound  asleep.  When  they  waked  it  was 
night,  and  the  rain  had  ceased  for  a  brief  while. 
They  picked  their  way  along  the  shore,  a  flash  of 
lightning  now  and  then  illuminating  the  beach. 
Billy  was  walking  in  advance  of  his  companions. 
Presently  a  brilliant  flash  of  lightning  showed  him 
the  shore  ahead,  and  instantly  afterwards  Billy 
broke  into  a  run  like  a  startled  deer — completely 
disappearing  in  the  murky  darkness. 

"  What  does  that  mean?  "  asked  Tibe  of  Max. 
"  Surely  Billy  Boker  isn't  frightened  at  a  flash 
of  lightning." 

"  I  don't  know  so  well  about  that,"  answered 
Max  uneasily.  "  You  see  he's  fearfully  ex- 
hausted, and  of  course  our  nervous  systems  have 
been  terribly  strained.  I'm  afraid  Billy  has  lost 
his  nerve,  and  if  he  has  it  is  nothing  to  wonder 
at." 

Just  then  another  flash  showed  Billy  a  rod  or  so 
in  advance,  struggling  with  some  object  the  nature 
of  which  the  boys  did  not  make  out  in  the  instant's 
view  that  the  lightning  flash  had  given  them. 
The  flash  was  quickly  followed  by  a  great  down- 
pour of  rain,  which  manifestly  did  not  dampen 
Billy's  spirits,  for  in  the  midst  of  it  he  shouted; 

221 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Hurrah !  boys,  hurrah !  hurrah !  IVe  got  him 
on  his  back.    Come  quick  and  help  me !  " 

Max  and  Tibe  hurried  forward,  stumbling  in 
the  darkness  as  they  went.  When  they  reached 
Billy,  they  found  him  standing  over  a  huge  turtle, 
which  he  had  rendered  completely  helpless  by 
turning  him  on  his  back. 

"  Billy,"  said  Max,  "  you  are—" 

"  Oh,  never  mind  what  I  am.  Spare  me  your 
compliments,  and  get  a  good,  limber  vine  out  of 
the  woods  up  there.  For  tired  or  not  tired,  we 
must  drag  this  big  fellow  to  camp  at  once.  He'll 
make  steaks  enough  to  feed  us  for  a  week  at  least, 
and  we'll  use  his  huge  shell  as  our  water  tank." 

"How  did  you  find  him,  Billy?" 

"  Why,  when  that  flash  of  lightning  came,  my 
eyes  happened  to  be  directed  to  this  part  of  the 
shore,  and  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  gentleman 
out  for  a  stroll  on  the  beach.  I  broke  into  a  run 
on  the  instant,  but  in  the  darkness  I  overran  the 
spot,  and  should  have  lost  my  game  but  for  that 
second  flash.  As  it  was  I  got  here  just  in  time. 
In  half  a  minute  more  the  turtle  would  have  been 
in  the  water.  Now  you  know  the  story.  Go  and 
get  a  vine  to  drag  him  with." 

The  lightning  was  now  almost  incessant,  and 
Tibe  had  very  little  difficulty  in  finding  a  slender, 
pliable  vine  of  great  strength  in  the  woods  neaf 

222 


ONE  DATS  WORK 


by.  From  it  he  cut  a  length  of  perhaps  twenty 
five  or  thirty  feet.  Making  this  fast  to  one  of  the 
turtle's  legs,  or  flippers,  all  three  boys  took  hold  of 
it,  and  ten  minutes  later  the  turtle  lay  on  its  back 
within  the  full  light  of  their  camp  fire,  which 
George  had  abundantly  replenished  with  wood 
against  the  coming  of  his  companions. 

Max  took  a  look  at  the  creature  and  exclaimed : 

"  He's  a  huge  green  turtle,  the  daintiest  thing 
to  eat,  that  comes  out  of  the  sea !  By  the  way,  I 
wronder  why  he  came  out  of  the  sea.  Turtles  do 
not  often  come  ashore  except  of  moonlight  nights 
in  the  spring,  when  they  want  to  lay  their 
eggs." 

"  Well,  never  mind  about  that  now,  Max,"  said 
Billy.  "  This  fellow  came  ashore  just  at  the  right 
time  for  us.  Now,  how  shall  we  get  at  his  supply 
of  steaks — for  we're  hungry?  " 

Max  took  his  big  jack-knife  and  drove  its  blade 
through  the  creature's  neck,  severing  the  spinal 
cord. 

"  Now  he's  dead,"  the  boy  said,  "  but  he  won't 
seem  so,  when  we  get  at  his  insides.  His  muscles 
will  contract  every  time  we  touch  them  for  days 
to  come  after  we  have  removed  his  entrails  and 
cut  away  steaks  from  his  muscular  parts.  That 
doesn't  indicate  feeling  or  life  either,  but  only  the 
extraordinary   muscular  contractility   that   most 

223 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

— — — —       III    III!  —    — — —— W—  HI    ■■■  — — W— — 

reptiles  have — for  the  turtle  is  as  truly  a  reptile 
as  any  snake  is." 

Billy  made  no  remonstrance,  but  let  Max  talk 
on,  because  Max  was  meanwhile  removing  the 
lower  shell  of  the  turtle,  the  one  now  uppermost. 
When  that  was  done  he  called  for  some  large 
leaves,  and  carefully  removing  the  liver,  placed  it 
on  the  leaves  for  safe  keeping. 

"  The  liver  is  one  of  the  best  parts  of  him,"  he 
said  as  he  did  this.  "  It  is  the  best  in  fact  except 
the  green  fat.  That  is  a  food  that  has  no  equal 
anywhere." 

After  removing  the  intestines,  Max  cut  some 
strips  or  steaks  from  the  muscular  parts,  and  bads 
his  companions  wash  them  and  the  liver  in  sea 
water  and  put  them  on  the  coals  to  broil.  George 
had  already  put  a  large  yam  into  the  hot  ashes^ 
and  it  was  now  well  cooked,  so  that  as  soon  a* 
the  turtle  steaks  were  done  the  supper  was  ready. 
It  was  the  first  really  substantial  meal  the  hungry 
fellows  had  tasted  since  the  day  of  the  wreck  and 
even  before  they  had  finished  eating  every  one  in 
the  little  company  felt  his  strength  returning  and 
his  spirits  reviving. 

But  before  supper  was  ready,  the  boys  asked 
George  what  he  had  done  with  their  clothes. 

"  They're  in  the  house,"  answered  the  boy. 

"In  what  house?" 

224 


ONE  DATS  WORK 


"  Why,  the  house  I  built  today  just  under  that 
little  crag  up  there." 

Without  waiting  for  the  steaks  to  cook,  the  boys 
left  George  to  attend  to  them  and  went  to  inspect 
the  "  house.'5  They  found  that  their  companion 
had  selected  a  spot  just  under  a  little  crag  or  cliff 
of  coral  rock,  and  had  there  constructed  a  rude 
but  rain  proof  shelter.  Setting  up  two  poles 
forked  at  top,  about  ten  feet  in  front  of  the  cliff, 
and  ten  feet  from  each  other,  he  had  laid  another 
pole  in  the  two  forks.  From  this  to  the  cliff  he 
had  placed  other  poles,  sloping  them  well,  and  on 
top  of  these  he  had  laid  a  thick  thatch  of  the  broad 
palmete  leaves — out  of  which  palm  leaf  fans  are 
made — with  their  pointed  "  fingers  "  downward. 
He  had  made  widely  sloping  sides  to  the  hut, 
covering  them  in  the  same  way,  but  leaving  the 
entire  front  open  to  the  fire  which  was  presently 
to  be  built  there. 

"  How  in  the  world  did  you  manage  to  do  all 
this,  George,  with  your  game  leg?"  asked  Billy. 

"  I  didn't.  I  did  it  with  my  hands,  and  I  used 
the  leg  that  isn't  game  to  hop  about  on.  The  only 
trouble  I  had  was  with  the  poles  which  after  all 
are  only  brushwood  sticks.  The  palmetes  grow 
so  thickly  around  here  that  I  didn't  have  to  do 
much  hopping  to  get  them.  And  besides,  I  had 
all  day  to  work  in." 

225 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

The  boys  were  enthusiastic  in  appreciation  of 
their  comrade's  thoughtfulness,  and  before  supper 
they  built  a  good  fire  in  front  of  their  new  habita- 
tion, and  spread  palmete  leaves  thick  over  the 
ground  within. 

"  That  will  serve  the  double  purpose  of  a  carpet 
and  a  bed,"  said  Tibe  when  all  was  done.  "  I 
always  did  admire  combination  furniture." 

"  Now,"  he  said,  after  the  supper  was  done, 
"  we're  all  tired  and  I  move  we  go  at  once  to  bed." 

"  Not  if  we  value  our  health,"  answered  Billy. 
"  After  several  days  of  semi-starvation,  we  have 
eaten  heartily  of  a  very  rich  kind  of  food.  It 
won't  do  to  go  to  sleep  for  at  least  two  hours  to 
come.  I  venture  to  suggest  that  we  require  Max 
to  answer  some  of  the  many  questions  we  have 
asked  him  from  time  to  time.  He's  never  had 
time  to  answer  them  before.  There's  plenty  of 
time  now." 


226 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
Turtles,  Tides  and  Talks 

AS  it  was  still  raining  and  somewhat  cold,  as 
it  is  apt  to  be  at  night  in  low  latitudes, 
the  boys  had  eaten  their  supper  in  the 
comfortable  dryness  of  the  new  house  with  a 
crackling  fire  in  front.  George  had  managed  to 
dry  out  their  clothing,  and  after  their  all  day's  ex- 
posure to  the  rain,  it  was  a  luxury  to  sit  thus  in 
comfort  while  they  talked. 

"  Now,  first  of  all,"  said  Tibe,  "  tell  us  about 
the  turtle.  Just  now  he  is  the  most  interesting 
subject  I  can  think  about.  I  didn't  know  turtles 
ever  grew  to  such  a  size  as  that." 

"  Oh,  they  grow  to  twice  that  size  often,"  an- 
swered Max,  "  at  least  down  here  in  the  Bahamas 
and  West  Indies.  Ours  weighs  about  250  pounds. 
They  often  grow  to  five  or  six  hundred.  Most  of 
those  that  are  consumed  in  the  great  cities  of 
Europe  and  America,  are  caught  among  these 
islands  and  on  the  coast  and  keys  of  Florida.  Of 
moonlight  nights  in  the  spring  and  summer  the 
turtles  waddle  up  the  beach  to  make  nests  in  the 

227 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

sand  and  lay  their  eggs.  They  dig  a  hole  with 
their  flippers,  lay  about  a  hundred  eggs,  cover 
them  with  dry  sand  and  go  away.  A  week  or  two 
later  the  mother  turtle  goes  back  to  her  nest  and 
deposits  about  a  hundred  more  eggs,  and  she  does 
this  once  more  about  three  weeks  later  still.  Then 
her  duty  as  a  mother  is  done,  and  she  pays  no 
further  attention  to  her  nest  or  eggs,  or  to  the 
young  when  they  are  hatched.  The  hot  sun  does 
the  hatching,  and  the  troops  of  little  turtles  make 
their  way  down  the  beach  and  into  the  sea,  where 
a  great  many  of  them  are  eaten  by  sharks,  dog- 
fish, sheepshead  and  other  fish  that  have  teeth 
and  strong  jaws.  You  see,  when  first  hatched  the 
turtle's  shell  is  thin  and  soft,  just  as  a  young 
crab's  is.  But  after  the  shell  hardens  the  turtle's 
only  enemy  is  man. 

"  On  the  Florida  coast  and  keys,  men  go  out 
on  the  sands  of  moonlight  nights,  armed  with 
hand  spikes,  and  turn  on  its  back  every  large  turtle 
they  can  find.  Once  on  its  back  on  shore,  a  turtle 
is  entirely  helpless.  He  cannot  possibly  turn  him- 
self over.  So  the  turtle  hunters  simply  leave  their 
catch  in  that  condition  till  the  next  day,  when 
they  go  out  with  carts  and  gather  them  up." 

"  Don't  they  kill  the  poor  creatures,  and  put 
them  out  of  their  misery?  "  asked  Tibe,  who  was 
tender  hearted. 

228 


TURTLES,  TIDES  AND  TALKS 

u  Oh,  no.  They  want  to  get  them  to  market 
alive.  Otherwise  many  of  them  would  spoil  be- 
fore they  could  be  sold  to  consumers.  A  turtle 
will  live  for  weeks  even  without  food,  but  in  order 
to  fatten  them  and  keep  them  fat,  their  captors 
usually  feed  them  with  green  things — especially 
purslane,  or  what  we  commonly  call  '  pusley,' — 
until  the  time  comes  to  eat  them.  Sometimes 
turtles  are  harpooned  in  the  sea,  but  that  kills 
them  of  course,  and  the  effort  of  turtle  hunters 
usually  is  to  catch  their  game  alive  either  on  shore, 
or  in  a  kind  of  water  pound/' 

"  Do  we  call  doves  '  turtle  doves/  because  they 
resemble  turtles  in  any  way?"  asked  George. 

"  No.  Just  the  reverse.  In  old  English  the 
word  '  turtle  '  meant  turtle  dove  and  nothing  else, 
for  there  are  no  turtles  in  Europe.  When  America 
was  discovered  and  turtles  were  found  here  in 
their  native  home  the  sailors  called  them  by  that 
name  because  of  their  resemblance  to  birds  in  sev- 
eral ways,  particularly  in  their  flippers,  which 
resemble  wings,  and  in  their  bills,  which  are  al- 
most exactly  like  those  of  birds." 

"  Then  turtle  soup  is  one  of  America's  many 
good  gifts  to  mankind?  "  asked  George.  "  There 
are  no  turtles  anywhere  else?  " 

"  There  are  no  green  turtles  anywhere  else, 
none  of  the  species  that  furnishes  green  fat,"  an- 

229 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

swered  Max,  "  and  there  are  no  turtles  of  any 
kind  in  Europe.  There  are  tortoises  there,  but  no 
turtles.  In  America  we  have  about  a  dozen  dif- 
ferent varieties,  and  by  all  odds  the  best  of  them 
are  the  green  turtles.,, 

"  Better  than  the  diamond  back  terrapin,  do  you 
think,  Max?  "  asked  the  Marylander,  ready  to  de- 
fend the  reputation  of  his  native  state's  chief  lux- 
ury. 

"  The  diamond  backed  terrapin  is  not  a  turtle 
at  all,  George,  but  a  tortoise/ '  answered  Max.  "  I 
only  said  that  the  green  turtle  is  the  best  of  all 
the  turtle  family." 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  said  George  with  a  laugh.  "  So 
you  did  not  mean  to  reflect  upon  the  terrapin  any 
more  than  upon  that  twin  glory  of  the  Chesapeake, 
the  canvas  back  duck." 

"  Now,  Max,"  said  Billy,  "  you  called  our  at- 
tention this  morning  to  the  fact  that  there  is  a 
very  small  tide  in  this  little  bay,  but  you  didn't  tell 
us  why.     Would  you  mind  explaining?  " 

"Oh,  not  at  all,"  returned  Max,  "though  I 
should  think  you  would  see  why  for  yourself." 

"  Perhaps  I  would,"  said  Billy,  "  if  my  eyes 
and  mind  had  been  trained  as  yours  have  been  by 
long  experience  at  sea,  to  observe  everything.  As 
it  is,  I  can't  see  the  smallest  reason  why  the  tide 
shouldn't  rise  as  high  in  this  bay  as  it  does  out- 

230 


TURTLES,  TIDES  AND  TALKS 

side  on  the  beach  there,  or  in  that  little  inlet  down 
by  the  lumber  pile." 

"  Did  you  ever  observe/'  asked  Max,  "  that 
the  entrance  to  this  bay  is  very  narrow — not  over 
fifty  or  sixty  feet  wide?  " 

"  Yes,  but  I  don't  see  what  that  has  to  do  with 
it" 

"You  will  see  if  you'll  think  a  little.  This 
bay  is  about  two  hundred  yards  wide  and  it  ex- 
tends inland  about  the  same  distance  or  a  trifle 
more.  It  is  a  very  large  basin,  as  compared  with 
its  entrance.  Now  all  the  tide  water  that  comes 
into  this  basin  must  come  in  through  that  narrow 
entrance,  and  before  enough  of  it  can  flow  in  to 
raise  the  level  of  the  basin  much,  the  ebb  of  the 
tide  begins,  and  as  soon  as  the  level  outside  is 
lower  than  the  level  inside,  the  water  flows  out 
again." 

"  I  see  now,"  said  the  smaller  boy.  "  Your  ex- 
planation is  as  plain  and  simple  as  the  multiplica- 
tion table.  Yet  I  never  should  have  thought  it 
out  for  myself.    That  is  because  I  am  stupid." 

"  But  you  are  not  stupid,  Billy,"  replied  Max. 
"  On  the  contrary  you  have  a  very  active  and 
alert  mind." 

"  Why  couldn't  I  see  such  a  simple  thing  as  that 
for  myself  then?  " 

"  Simply  because  you   have   not   cultivated   a 

231 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

scientific  habit  of  mind  to  any  great  extent.  You 
yourself  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  tide 
rises  higher  in  the  little  inlet  than  it  does  in  this 
bay,  and  you  asked  me  to  tell  you  why.  You 
should,  instead,  have  asked  yourself  what  dif- 
ferences there  are  in  the  conformation  of  the  two 
bodies  of  water.  Had  you  done  that  the  reason 
for  the  tide  difference  would  have  been  plain  to 
you.  This  bay  is  very  narrow  at  its  mouth,  and 
comparatively  wide  inside;  the  little  inlet  is  very 
wide  at  its  mouth — yawning  like  a  sleepy  school- 
boy— and  it  grows  steadily  narrower  as  it  goes 
inland.  A  great  body  of  tide  water  freely  enters 
its  mouth  and  pushes  its  way  up  between  the  con- 
tinually narrowing  banks  filling  the  estuary  com- 
pletely full" 

"  Then,"  asked  George  Smith,  "  is  it  the  con- 
formation of  the  coasts  that  determines  the  vary- 
ing height  of  the  tides  at  different  places?  " 

"  Mainly  that,"  answered  Max,  "  though  there 
are  other  causes.  The  depth  of  the  water  is  one, 
and  the  slope  of  the  sea  bottom  as  it  approaches 
the  coast  is  another.  Still  another,  and  a  very 
important  influence,  is  the  meeting  of  two  tides. 
For  example,  at  Galveston  there  is  only  one  flood 
and  one  ebb  each  day,  instead  of  the  two  floods 
and  the  two  ebbs  that  generally  appear.  This  is 
because  a  tide  that  comes  up  the  South  American 

232 


TURTLES,  TIDES  AND  TALKS 

coast  and  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  through  the 
channel  south  of  Cuba,  is  almost  exactly  six  hours 
later  in  reaching  Galveston  than  the  tide  that 
comes  from  the  North  Atlantic  and  enters  the 
Gulf  through  the  channel  between  Cuba  and 
Florida.  Thus  the  low  water  of  the  one  tide  coin- 
cides exactly  with  the  high  water  of  the  other, 
the  two  neutralizing  each  other  and  leaving  no 
half  day  tide  at  all,  but  only  a  single  day  tide. 
You  see  the  tides  are  caused  by  the  attraction  of 
the  sun  and  moon,  but  mainly  the  moon.  By 
the  law  of  gravitation  those  two  spheres  are  pull- 
ing all  the  time  at  the  earth,  trying  to  draw  it  to 
them.  They  would  do  that  in  fact  and  smash 
things  up,  if  it  were  not  for  the  earth's  swing 
around  the  sun,  which  causes  what  is  called  cen- 
trifugal force — or  a  tendency  to  fly  off  as  a  stone 
does  when  you  let  it  escape  from  the  restraint  of 
a  sling.  As  water  is  fluid,  of  course  it  yields 
easily  to  the  attraction  of  the  sun  and  moon.  If 
there  were  no  land  in  the  way,  the  attraction  of 
the  sun  and  moon  would  cause  two  great  waves 
to  form,  one  on  each  side  of  the  earth,  and  as 
the  earth  revolves,  these  two  waves  would  cease- 
lessly follow  the  sun  and  moon  around  the  world. 
Wherever  land  interferes,  these  waves  roll  in  upon 
the  shore  as  tides  and  push  their  way  into  all 
harbors,  bays  and  river  mouths.    If  the  tide  wave 

233 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

finds  a  wide  mouthed  passage,  narrowing  and 
shoaling  as  it  runs  up,  there  will  be  a  very  high 
tide  at  that  place,  growing  higher  and  higher  as 
it  ascends  the  passageway,  because  the  narrow 
and  shoal  estuary  cannot  hold  all  the  water  that 
enters  the  wide  mouth,  without  sending  the  tide 
to  a  great  height  up  the  banks.  Thus  in  the  Bay 
of  Fundy,  the  tide  rises  to  thirty -five  and  forty 
feet,  while  in  some  broad  bays  with  narrow  en- 
trances, it  rises  only  a  foot  or  two,  and  in  the  vast 
Mediterranean  Sea  there  is  no  tide  at  all  because 
the  entrance  at  Gibraltar  is  so  narrow  and  the 
sea  so  big." 

"  That  is  very  interesting,"  said  Billy,  "  but 
you  promised  also  to  tell  us  sometime  about  spring 
tides  and  neap  tides." 

"  Well,"  said  Max,  "  as  the  tides  are  caused  by 
the  attraction  of  the  sun  and  moon,  and  as  the 
two  are  constantly  changing  their  relative  posi- 
tions with  respect  to  the  earth,  there  must  be  a 
considerable  variation  in  the  height  of  the  tides. 
Thus  when  the  sun  and  moon  are  '  in  conjunc- 
tion,' that  is  to  say  are  on  the  same  side  of  the 
earth,  as  they  are  at  the  time  of  the  new  moon, 
they  both  pull  together,  and  together  they  raise  a 
much  higher  wave  than  at  ordinary  times.  When 
that  occurs,  the  high  water  of  the  tide  is  higher 
and  the  low  water  lower,  than  ordinarily.    That 

234 


TURTLES,  TIDES  AND  TALKS 

we  call  a  spring  tide.  The  same  thing  happens 
when  the  sun  and  moon  are  '  in  opposition/  or 
on  opposite  sides  of  the  earth.  You  remember 
there  are  two  tide  waves  always,  and  when  the 
sun  and  moon  are  in  opposition  they  draw  the 
water  both  ways,  into  higher  waves  than  ordi- 
narily, giving  a  correspondingly  greater  difference 
between  high  and  low  water  than  at  ordinary 
times.  This  occurs  when  the  moon  is  at  the  full, 
and  is  the  second  of  the  spring  tides  in  each 
month.  But  when  the  sun  and  moon  are  '  in 
quadrature ' — that  is  to  say,  when  they  are  so 
situated  that  a  line  drawn  from  the  sun  to  the 
centre  of  the  earth,  and  another  line  drawn  from 
the  moon  to  the  centre  of  the  earth  would  form 
a  right  angle, — then  the  two  pull  against  each 
other  on  the  tide  wave,  and  we  have  a  neap  tide, 
or  one  of  which  the  high  water  is  lower  than 
usual  and  the  low  water  higher  than  usual.  Let 
me  illustrate.' ' 

Taking  up  a  stick,  Max  drew  some  rude  dia- 
grams in  the  sand,  like  these : 


*  O  °    O  °  * 

Sun  Earth      Moon  Earth         Moon       Sun 

(Sun  and  moon  in  opposi-  (Sun  and    moon   in  con- 

tion.     Spring  tide.)  junction.     Spring  tide.) 

235 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 


o 

MOON 

o 

* 

Earth 

SUW 

(Sun 

and  moon  in 

quadrature. 

Neap  tide.) 

"  Now,"  said  Max,  "  I'm  not  going  to  tell  you 
anything  more  about  the  tides  or  anything  else 
tonight.  We  must  go  to  sleep.  It  is  late  and  we 
have  a  hard  day's  work  laid  out  for  us  for  to- 
morrow.    So,  good -night." 


a36 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
Max  Asserts  His  Authority 

WHEN  morning  broke  the  weather  was 
clear  and  the  sea  unusually  calm. 
"  Everything  is  favorable  now," 
said  Max.  "  If  we  hurry  through  breakfast  and 
go  to  work  at  once  it  will  be  low  water  slack  just 
about  the  time  that  we  get  our  timbers  to  the 
mouth  of  the  bay.  Then,  as  the  flood  begins,  the 
tide  will  bring  them  in  for  us  without  any  exer- 
tion on  our  part.  It  flows  like  a  mill  tail  through 
that  narrow  entrance.  But  we  must  hurry  or  we 
shall  miss  that." 

So  each  took  a  piece  of  turtle  steak  and  a  sweet 
potato  in  his  hands,  and  they  set  off  down  the 
beach,  eating  as  they  went.  There  was  a  fresh 
water  spring  near  their  place  of  working,  so  that 
they  could  drink  after  their  meal. 

"  It  isn't  up  to  the  level  of  hot  coffee,"  said 
Tibe,  as  he  rose  from  the  spring  after  drinking, 
"  but  when  one  is  thirsty,  clear,  cool  water  has 
distinct  claims  upon  attention  as  a  tipple." 

"  It  certainly  has,"  said  Billy  drinking  in  his 
turn,  "  and  I  really  suppose  that  on  most  occa- 

237 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

sions  we  should  be  the  better  for  it,  if  we  con- 
tented ourselves  with  simple  water,  drinking  no 
tea  or  coffee  at  all." 

"  We  drink  tea  and  coffee  for  the  sake  of  the 
stimulation  they  afford,"  said  Max,  "  and  for 
nothing  else.  Tea  and  coffee  contain  a  stimulat- 
ing principle  called  ■  theine '  in  tea  and  '  caffeine  ' 
in  coffee.  The  two  are  practically  the  same.  And 
the  heat  of  hot  tea  or  coffee  is  also  a  stimulant. 
Ordinarily  a  healthy  boy  or  young  man  does  not 
need  stimulation  of  any  kind,  beyond  that  which 
the  shock  of  a  cold  bath  affords.  But  when  one 
is  worn  out  with  exposure,  starvation  and  loss 
of  sleep,  as  we  were  when  we  came  ashore,  I  sup- 
pose a  gentle  stimulant  like  tea  or  coffee,  is  really 
of  advantage.  Now  we  must  get  to  work.  First 
we  must  cut  some  limber  and  strong  vines — two 
of  them  in  twenty  foot  lengths,  and  one — I'll  get 
that  myself — thirty  or  forty  or  fifty  feet  long." 

This  task  was  an  easy  one  as  the  forest  on  that 
part  of  the  island  abounded  in  climbing  vines 
which  grew  slenderly  to  great  lengths.  Then  the 
boys  rolled  their  three  timbers  to  the  water's  edge, 
and  Billy  and  Tibe  began  arranging  them  side  by 
side.  But  Max,  coming  out  of  the  woods,  called 
to  them : 

"  No,  no,  fellows.  Not  that  way.  We  must 
put  them  end  to  end.    I'll  show  you." 

238 


MAX  ASSERTS  HIS  AUTH0RIT7 

He  fastened  his  long  vine  to  the  end  of  one  tim- 
ber, and,  with  the  assistance  of  his  comrades,  he 
rolled  it  into  the  water,  making  it  fast  to  a  log 
on  the  beach.  Next  he  made  one  of  the  shorter 
vines  fast  to  another  timber  and  rolled  it  into  the 
water.  Then  towing  it  up  to  the  first  beam,  he 
tied  its  forward  end  to  the  rear  end  of  the  other 
stick,  so  that  in  towing,  one  timber  would  follow 
the  other.  Proceeding  in  the  same  way  with  the 
remaining  timber  he  presently  had  all  three  fas- 
tened together,  end  to  end. 

"  Why  do  you  do  it  in  that  way,  Max?  "  asked 
Billy.  "  Why  not  lay  the  logs  side  by  side  and 
tow  them  as  a  raft?  " 

11  Because  they  will  tow  more  easily  in  this  way. 
If  we  put  the  three  side  by  side  the  water  resist- 
ance would  be  much  greater  than  if  we  tow  them 
in  a  trail.  In  this  way  there  will  be  very  little 
resistance  beyond  that  of  the  first  log.  It  will 
make  a  wake  for  the  others,  and  they  will  follow 
it  almost  without  any  pull  at  all." 

The  boys  had  again  left  their  clothing  at  the 
camp,  as  their  work  was  to  be  mainly  done  in  the 
water.  Seizing  the  long  towing  vine  they  wTaded 
out  to  where  the  water  was  two  or  three  feet  deep, 
and  all  three  pulling  together  they  slowly  made 
their  way  along  shore  toward  the  bay.  It  was 
very  slow    work    however.     The    timbers  were 

*39 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

heavy  and  the  surf,  light  as  it  was,  kept  driving 
them  on  shore,  and,  in  receding  leaving  them 
there.  To  avoid  this  difficulty  in  some  degree, 
they  went  out  into  deeper  water,  and  waded  up 
to  their  chests  in  the  sea.  But  in  thus  avoiding 
one  difficulty  they  encountered  another.  In  the 
deeper  water  their  foothold  was  of  course  in- 
secure, the  water  tending  all  the  time  to  lift  their 
feet  off  bottom.  Yet  little  by  little  they  made 
progress,  stopping  now  and  then  to  rest  on  the 
shore  and  get  their  breath. 

The  tide  had  turned  half  an  hour  before  the 
boys  with  their  raft  reached  the  mouth  of  the  bay, 
and  the  water  was  now  rushing  in  through  the 
entrance  like  a  mountain  torrent.  When  they 
reached  the  suck  of  the  current  Max  threw  him- 
self upon  the  forward  log,  as  one  mounts  a  horse, 
and  directed  his  companions  to  climb  upon  the 
other  timbers  in  the  same  way.  A  few  minutes 
later,  they  were  shot  into  the  calm  waters  of  the 
bay  looking  like  three  horsemen  riding  in  single 
file.  Dropping  into  the  water  and  swimming, 
they  soon  pushed  the  timbers  ashore  and  ar- 
ranged them  side  by  side,  binding  them  together 
with  the  vines  into  a  sort  of  raft,  one  end  of  which 
was  held  against  the  sands  by  the  towline,  which 
was  made  fast  to  a  tree,  while  the  other  end  was 
afloat. 

240 


MAX  ASSERTS  HIS  AUTHORITY 

As  it  was  now  nearly  noon,  the  three  went  at 
once  to  their  camp  shelter,  their  skins  stinging 
with  sunburn,  for  a  wet  skin  sunburns  much  more 
quickly  than  a  dry  one.  They  were  not  afraid 
of  blistering  however.  They  had  become  too  well 
tanned  for  that  in  their  Bluffton  swimming  and 
boating  experiences.  As  they  started  toward  the 
camp  they  saw  George  Smith  hastily  secrete  some- 
thing under  a  pile  of  brush. 

"  Wonder  what  it  is  that  George  is  hiding  from 
us,"  said  Tibe. 

"  Don't  ask,"  replied  Max.  "  One's  privacy 
should  be  just  as  sacred  from  invasion  as  his  prop- 
erty is.  If  George  is  hiding  anything  from  us, 
he  has  a  perfect  right  to  do  so,  particularly  as  we 
know  him  to  be  a  loyal  friend." 

George  had  a  yam  ready  roasted — it  was  the 
last  but  one,  of  their  supply — and  it  did  not  take 
long  for  the  boys  to  slip  on  their  clothes,  go  to  the 
spring,  where  the  turtle  was  kept  for  the  sake  of 
the  coolness,  cut  out  a  few  steaks  and  broil  them. 
The  meal  over,  Max  ordered  a  rest  of  half  an 
hour  before  resuming  work. 

"  After  we've  digested  our  food,"  he  said  from 
his  position  flat  on  his  back  on  the  sands, 
"  I  want  you,  Billy,  to  go  after  a  fresh  supply  of 
yams.  I'll  direct  you  how  to  find  them.  Take 
my  shirt  and  Tibe's  and  bring  back  as  big  a  load 

241 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

of  them  as  you  can  carry.  There's  a  little  patch 
of  sugar  cane  growing  wild  near  that  old  garden 
spot.  Suppose  you  bring  some  of  that  too.  Its 
juice  is  very  nutritious,  and  it  will  give  a  badly 
needed  variety  to  our  food." 

"  Does  there  happen  to  be  a  bag  of  salt  grow- 
ing up  there  too?  "  asked  Tibe.  "  For  if  I  ever 
was  famished  for  anything  I  am  famished  now 
for  a  taste  of  salt.  If  we  only  had  a  kettle  now, 
we'd  make  some  out  of  this  sea  water.  It's  about 
the  saltest  sea  water  I  ever  saw." 

"  It  is  so  salt,"  said  Max,  "  that  in  some  of 
these  islands  people  make  great  quantities  of  salt 
for  export,  by  simply  letting  the  sea  water  flow 
at  high  tide  into  shallow  pools  which  they  make 
in  the  sand.  When  the  tide  goes  out  they  make 
a  bank  to  keep  the  next  tide  from  coming  into 
the  pools.  Most  of  the  water  in  the  pools  filters 
through  the  sand,  which  is  already  too  full  of 
salt  to  take  up  any  more.  Then  the  sun  dries  up 
the  pools  leaving  great  blocks  of  rock  salt 
scattered  about.  I  noticed  this  morning  on  a  flat 
bit  of  beach  down  there  that  the  sea  and  sun  had 
been  running  a  little  salt  factory  of  that  sort 
without  any  aid  from  man.  The  sand  is  full  of 
salt  crystals,  some  of  them  as  big  as  a  walnut. 
We'll  get  some  when  we  go  down  there." 

242 


MAX  ASSERTS  HIS  AUTHORITY 

"  But  why  isn't  the  whole  beach  salted  in  a 
similar  way?  "  asked  Tibe. 

"  Because  each  returning  tide  washes  away  the 
half  formed  salt  left  by  its  predecessor.  The  little 
patch  of  sand  where  I  found  the  salt  isn't  reached 
by  ordinary  tides.  Only  at  spring  tides  or  in 
heavy  storms  does  the  water  cover  it,  and  it  is  so 
flat  that  the  receding  tide  leaves  it  very  slowly. 
Indeed  I  suspect  that  the  edge  of  it  nearest  the 
sea  is  higher  than  its  main  level,  so  that  much 
of  the  salt  water  brought  in  by  spring  tides  re- 
mains there  and  dries  up,  leaving  its  salt  as  a 
deposit.  Anyhow  there's  an  abundance  of  salt 
there,  and  I  should  have  brought  some  of  it  away 
this  morning  if  we  had  been  returning  by  land. 
This  time  we'll  gather  a  few  pounds  of  it  on  palm 
leaves,  and  after  we  get  our  next  raft  here  one 
of  us — whichever  is  least  tired — will  go  back 
after  it." 

"  Tired  or  not,"  said  Tibe,  "  I  volunteer  to  lead 
that  forlorn  hope.  For  I'd  give  a  gold  dollar — 
if  I  had  one — for  the  privilege  of  sprinkling  salt 
over  the  next  piece  of  meat  I  eat." 

"  So  would  I,"  said  George  Smith,  "  and 
there's  another  thing.  We  can't  keep  our  turtle 
long  unless  we  salt  it." 

"That  is  true,"  Max  answered.     "So  we'll 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

gather  a  good  supply,  and  both  of  us  will  go 
after  it  this  evening,  Tibe.  Now  we  must  be  off, 
to  tan  our  skins  to  a  still  richer  brown.,, 

"  By  the  way,  Max,"  said  Tibe  as  the  two 
slipped  off  their  clothing,  "  if  we  ever  get  back 
to  civilization  again,  we'll  be  able  to  set  ourselves 
up  in  business  as  bronze  statues.  It  will  be  a 
nice  quiet  occupation, — a  trifle  monotonous  per- 
haps, but  on  the  whole  agreeable,  in  warm 
weather  at  least." 

On  their  arrival  at  the  lumber  pile  Tibe  wanted 
to  go  first  to  the  salt  beach,  but  Max  overruled 
him. 

"  It  is  a  case,"  he  said,  "  in  which  the  old  adage 
applies — '  business  before  pleasure.'  We  must 
get  our  lumber  ready  for  towing  before  we  do 
anything  else,  Tibe.  You  see  we'll  never  get  back 
to  civilization  where  bronze  statues  are  appreci- 
ated, if  we  don't  devote  ourselves  diligently  to  the 
work  of  saving  the  Sairey  Ann.  Her  cotton  bales 
are  slowly  absorbing  water,  and  she  is  slowly 
sinking  deeper  in  the  water.  So  we  must  lose  no 
time." 

It  did  not  take  them  long  to  gather  a  dozen 
of  the  white  pine  boards  together,  pile  them  one 
on  top  of  another,  and  bind  them  securely  to- 
gether with  vines.  This  gave  to  the  collection  the 
appearance  of  a  sinsle  stick  of  timber,  about  a 

244 


MAX  ASSERTS  HIS  AUTHORITY 

foot  square  and  sixteen  feet  long.  That  done, 
they  cut  two  large  palm  leaves  six  or  eight  feet 
across  and  brought  their  edges  partly  together, 
making  them  into  a  kind  of  bags  or  baskets.  Into 
each  of  these  they  put  perhaps  half  a  bushel  of 
salt,  and  deposited  the  baskets  well  up  on  the 
beach,  near  the  "  lumber  yard  "  as  they  called 
that  part  of  the  beach  where  the  lumber  ship  had 
come  ashore  many  months  before. 

With  a  long  vine  for  towTline  the  two  slowly 
dragged  their  bundle  of  boards  through  the  water. 
But  by  the  time  that  they  approached  the  mouth 
of  the  bay,  the  tide  was  strongly  running  out. 
It  was  impossible,  of  course,  to  force  the  raft 
against  the  current,  so  they  drew  it  well  up  on  the 
sands  and  left  it  there. 

"  We'll  tow  it  in  on  the  next  flood/'  said  Max. 
"  That  will  occur  about  midnight,  and  so  we  shall 
not  get  much  sleep  to-night.  Now  we'll  run  up 
to  the  camp,  put  on  our  clothes  and  go  after  our 
salt.     We'll  get  back  in  time  for  supper." 

They  found  Billy  at  the  camp.  He  had  just  re- 
turned with  his  load  of  sweet  potatoes,  yams  and 
sugar  cane,  and  he  looked  weary.  But  he  in- 
sisted on  going  with  his  comrades  after  the  salt 
supply. 

When  they  had  reached  a  point  well  out  of  ear- 
shot of  the  camp,  Billy  said : 

245 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Max,  I  insisted  upon  coming  with  you  be- 
cause I  have  something  to  tell  you." 

Billy  spoke  with  great  seriousness,  and  he  was 
manifestly  somewhat  disturbed  in  his  mind. 

"  What  is  it,  Billy?  "  asked  Max,  stopping  and 
standing  still  to  hear  Billy's  reply. 

"  Why,  it  is  just  this.  You  remember  that  as 
we  approached  the  camp  at  noon,  we  saw  George 
Smith  hastily  hide  something  ?" 

"Yes.    Well?" 

"  Well,  when  I  got  back  to  the  camp  again  just 
now,  I  came  upon  him  rather  unawares.  As  I  did 
so  he  hastily  turned  his  back  to  me,  quickly  took 
up  something  and,  keeping  it  hidden  behind  his 
person,  hopped  away  into  the  bushes  with  it. 
When  he  came  back  he  was  obviously  embar- 
rassed. I  thought  it  my  duty  to  tell  you  about  the 
matter — particularly  as  he  belongs  to  the  other 
side  in  the  war,  and  is  now  no  longer  a  prisoner  on 
parole." 

"  Is  that  all?  "  asked  Max.  "  Have  you  any- 
thing further  to  tell  me?  " 

"  No,  that  is  all." 

"  Very  well.    Come  on  then." 

With  that  Max  resumed  the  journey.  He  re- 
mained absolutely  silent  as  he  walked  on,  and  his 
companions,  seeing  him  in  deep  thought  uttered 
no  word  to  disturb  him. 

246 


MAX  ASSERTS  HIS  AUTHORITY 

When  the  party  arrived  at  the  point  where  the 
salt  baskets  had  been  left,  Max  threw  himself 
down  and  said : 

"  Sit  down  both  of  you.  I  want  to  talk  to 
you." 

When  the  pair  had  taken  their  seats,  Max  re- 
sumed, speaking  slowly,  and  evidently  choosing 
his  words  carefully. 

"lama  trifle  ashamed  of  you,  Billy,"  he  said 
by  way  of  introduction.  Billy's  face  looked  like 
an  interrogation  mark,  but  he  said  nothing.  After 
a  pause,  Max  went  on : 

"  We  know  George  Smith.  We  have  had  ex- 
periences together  which  have  given  us  an  insight 
into  his  character  such  as  men  rarely  get  into  the 
character  of  anybody.  Now  you  know,  or  ought 
to  know,  that  character  is  as  much  a  fact  as  com- 
plexion is,  or  the  color  of  one's  hair  and  eyes. 
More  than  that,  it  is  about  the  most  unchangeable 
fact  that  exists  in  the  world.  A  man  may  dye  his 
hair  and  stain  his  face;  but  he  can  in  no  way  alter 
his  character,  except  by  slow  degrees,  requiring 
years  of  dissipation  or  self  indulgence  or  some 
other  sort  of  wrong  doing.  That  is  why  it  is  so 
important  to  form  a  good  character  in  youth.  It 
is  something  that  one  must  carry  with  him  as  long 
as  he  lives.  It  is  a  lifelong,  dominating  force 
from  which  no  man  can  escape.    He  may  violate 

247 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

its  commands  upon  sudden  impulse  sometimes, 
but  never  with  deliberation  and  of  set  purpose. 
Now,  as  I  was  saying  a  while  ago,  we  know 
George  Smith's  character  beyond  any  possibility 
of  doubt.  We  know  that  he  is  honest,  truthful, 
generous  of  mind,  and  utterly  incapable  of  doing 
a  mean  or  treacherous  thing.  Why  then  should 
we  be  disturbed  by  the  discovery  that  he  is  hiding 
something  from  us?  We  know  that  he  is  not 
doing  that  with  any  wrongful  or  treacherous  in- 
tent. Whatever  his  motive  may  be,  it  is  not  a 
dishonorable  one  or  one  hostile  to  us.  We  have 
therefore  no  right  to  insult  him  by  inquiring  into 
it.  I  am  commander  of  this  expedition.  I  am 
responsible  for  everything  that  concerns  it,  and  I 
take  the  responsibility  of  saying  that  I  will  not 
permit  any  inquiry  to  be  made,  or  any  reflection, 
direct  Qr  indirect,  upon  George  Smith's  honor, 
friendship,  or  loyalty  to  us  as  his  friends.  Now 
come  on.    It  is  time  for  us  to  start  for  camp." 

Neither  Billy  nor  Tibe  made  any  answer  to 
what  Max  had  said.  He  had  not  expected  that 
they  would,  and  he  had  not  intended  that  they 
should.  His  tone  and  manner,  as  well  as  his 
words,  effectually  prohibited  a  reply.  So  in 
silence  the  party  returned  to  the  camp,  bearing 
their  precious  burden  of  salt. 

248 


CHAPTER  XXV 
George  Smith  Tells  a  Little  Story 

NIGHT  was  falling  as  the  party  returned  to 
the  camp,  utterly  weary  with  their  un- 
usually hard  day's  work. 

"  Now,"  said  George  Smith,  "  you  fellows  are 
to  sit  down  or  lie  down,  while  I  get  the  supper. 
You're  tired  to  the  verge  of  exhaustion,  and  you 
are  not  to  do  another  thing.  I've  got  a  yam  ready 
to  take  out  of  the  ashes,  and  I'll  do  the  rest." 

The  boys  were  ready  enough  to  rest  a  little. 
They  lay  down  upon  the  sand  and  in  a  minute  all 
were  asleep.  Ten  minutes  passed  perhaps  before 
George  waked  them  with  a  summons  to  supper. 
As  they  rose  to  a  sitting  posture,  they  saw  a  large 
palm  leaf  spread  before  them,  and  in  the  centre  of 
it  a  baked  fish,  weighing  eight  or  ten  pounds. 

Eagerly  the  boys  questioned  their  comrade,  not 
one  of  them  being  able  even  to  guess  where  the  boy 
had  got  the  welcome  food  supply. 

For  answer  he  said : 

"  Eat  first.  After  you  have  found  out  whether 
the  fish  is  good  or  not,  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it." 

249 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Whether  it  is  good  or  not !  "  exclaimed  Max. 
"  I  can  answer  that  question  without  waiting  to 
taste  the  fish.  I  know  the  gentleman's  kind.  He's 
a  sheepshead,  and  if  there  is  any  better  in  the 
sea,  I  have  never  happened  to  encounter  it." 

Meanwhile  he  was  helping  his  companions  with 
his  jack-knife  and  a  forked  stick,  laying  a  liberal 
supply  of  the  fish  on  the  palm  leaf  which  each  of 
the  youths  had  in  his  lap  to  serve  as  a  plate. 

"  I  say  fellows,"  said  Tibe,  "  let's  pulverize  some 
of  our  salt  before  we  begin.  It  is  in  lumps  rang- 
ing from  the  size  of  a  pea  to  that  of  a  big  walnut, 
but  we  can  crush  it  in  an  oyster  shell,  and  we  must 
have  salt  with  our  fish." 

"  The  fish  is  already  salted,"  said  George  Smith 
quietly.  "  I  did  that  before  baking  it.  And  if  you 
want  more  salt,  here's  a  shell  full,"  setting  his 
oyster  shell  salt  cellar  on  the  leaf  that  served  as 
a  table. 

"  Where  did  you  get  salt?  "  asked  Max  in  as- 
tonishment. "  It  hasn't  been  ten  minutes  since  we 
brought  in  our  supply,  and  the  fish  must  have  been 
baking  long  before  that." 

"  Go  on  with  your  eating,"  said  George.  "  If 
this  fish,  with  salt  in  it  seems  as  good  to  you  as 
it  does  to  me,  your  curiosity  can  wait  till  your 
appetites  are  satisfied.  Anyhow,  I  am  not  going 
to  suspend  my  eating  to  talk.     After  we  have 

250 


GEORGE  SMITH  TELLS  A  STORI 

finished  I'll  tell  you  little  boys  the  '  Story  of 
Georgie  Smith  and  the  Big  Fish.'  " 

The  oysters  grow  very  large  in  the  Bahamas, 
and,  in  order  that  the  boys  might  have  water  at 
hand  to  drink  with  their  meal,  George  Smith  had 
selected  a  number  of  the  largest  shells,  each  hold- 
ing a  pint  at  least  and  filled  them  with  water  from 
the  spring  in  anticipation  of  supper.  This,  added 
to  the  welcome  change  of  diet  rendered  the  night's 
supper  the  most  enjoyable  meal  the  shipwrecked 
boys  had  eaten  since  they  left  Charleston.  They 
ate  heartily,  but  an  end  must  come  to  all  things, 
and  at  last  there  came  an  end  to  the  supper.  Then 
the  boys  plied  George  with  questions  anew. 

"  Very  well,"  he  replied.  "  If  you'll  listen  I'll 
tell  you  children  that  little  story  I  promised  you. 
I  told  you,  Max,  that  while  I  couldn't  help  much 
in  your  hard  work,  because  of  my  game  leg,  I 
intended  to  help  as  much  as  I  could  in  other  ways. 
So  when  you  suggested,  the  other  night,  that  we 
might  make  fish  lines  out  of  some  of  the  cotton 
in  the  bale  marked  Circle  X,  I  determined  to  try 
my  hand  at  that.  I  worked  only  when  you  fellows 
were  away  from  the  camp,  for  fear  I  should  fail, 
and  get  myself  laughed  at.  Besides,  I  wanted  to 
surprise  you.  I  pulled  out  a  good  bunch  of  cotton 
from  a  hole  I  made  in  the  bagging  at  the  end  of 
the  bale,  and  brought  it  up  here.    I  tried  to  twist 

251 


THE  BALE  MARKED    CIRCLE  X 

this  into  a  kind  of  yarn,  and  after  a  good  many- 
failures  I  succeeded  in  making  three  strands  of 
rough  but  pretty  strong  yarn,  forty  feet  long.  I 
then  twisted  the  three  together  as  evenly  as  I 
could  manage,  and  succeeded  in  making  a  clumsy 
but  stout  fish  line.,, 

"  Let's  see  it !  "  cried  Billy. 

"  Well,  there  it  is,"  handing  the  rude  string  to 
his  companion.  "  It  isn't  pretty  to  look  at,  but  it 
caught  the  fish  weVe  just  been  eating.  I  had  just 
finished  my  line  when  you  fellows  came  to  camp 
at  noon,  and  I  had  to  hide  it  under  some  brush, 
as  I  was  more  than  ever  disposed  to  surprise  you 
fellows  with  a  fish  supper.  When  you  went  away 
again  to  work,  leaving  your  clothes  behind,  I 
picked  Tibe's  pocket  and  got  a  fishhook.  Fasten- 
ing it  to  my  line,  and  using  a  small  oyster  shell 
for  a  sinker,  I  hobbled  out  to  the  end  of  those  tim- 
bers you  had  brought  and  began  fishing,  with 
mussels  for  bait.  I  caught  eight  smaller  fish — 
three  quarters  of  a  pound  each  in  weight,  I  should 
say — and  finally  I  hooked  the  big  sheepshead  and 
landed  him.  I  put  the  smaller  fish  into  a  pool  of 
salt  water  which  I  dug  in  the  sand  with  an 
oyster  shell,  and  was  just  getting  ready  to  clean 
the  big  one,  when  Billy  strolled  into  the  camp,  and 
pretty  nearly  caught  me  in  the  act.  But  by  using 
my  body  for  a  screen,  I  managed  to  hide  the  fish 

252 


GEORGE  SMITH  TELLS  A  STORY 

•  ■■■  ■■■"'  — ^— ■ — — 

in  the  bushes,  without  letting  Billy  see  it.  When 
you  fellows  went  away,  I  cleaned  the  fish.  Re- 
membering what  you  had  said,  Max,  about  the 
way  the  sea  sometimes  leaves  salt  behind,  and  be- 
ing very  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  my  prize,  I 
hobbled  around  to  the  beach  on  the  other  side  of 
the  bay,  and  looked  for  depressions  in  the  sand, 
well  away  from  the  water.  I  found  one  at  last, — 
a  very  small  depression,  which  must  be  a  pool  at 
very  high  water.  It  is  dry  at  present,  and  there 
is  a  good  layer  of  salt  on  the  sand,  in  crystals 
about  as  big  as  a  pea.  I  gathered  about  a  pint  of 
them,  and  brought  them  to  camp,  where  I  ground 
them  up  with  one  oyster  shell  for  my  pestle  and 
another  for  my  mortar.  Then  I  salted  my  fish, 
wrapped  it  in  a  thick  layer  of  wet  leaves,  and  put 
it  into  the  hot  ashes  to  bake.  There  that's  the 
whole  story  of  Little  George  Smith  and  the  Big 
Fish." 

The  boys  were  profuse  in  their  praise  of 
George's  industry  and  devotion  to  the  common 
cause.  Billy  seemed  especially  eager  to  emphasize 
his  appreciation.  When  he  had  finished,  Max 
said,  with  a  good  deal  of  earnestness,  and  looking 
intently  at  Billy, 

"  One's  character  is  as  much  a  fact  as  the  color 
of  his  hair  and  eyes." 

To  George  Smith  the  remark  seemed  irrelevant 

253 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

to  anything  that  had  been  said.  But  Max  often 
made  seemingly  irrelevant  remarks,  and  besides 
it  was  time  for  sleep,  as  work  must  begin  again 
at  midnight.  A  cool  sea  breeze  fanned  the  faces 
of  the  weary  fellows,  as  they  lay  quite  outside  the 
shelter,  and  they  slept  refreshingly. 


*S4 


CHAPTER   XXVI 
Three  Male  Flora  McFlimseys 

ABOUT  the  middle  of  the  night  George 
Smith  hobbled  down  to  the  water's  edge 
and  found  the  tide  coming  in.  He  at 
once  aroused  the  others,  as  he  had  been  asked  to 
do,  in  order  that  they  might  bring  in  their  raft  of 
pine  boards.  They  were  heavy  and  dull  with  un- 
finished sleep,  but  they  yawningly  stripped  off 
their  clothes  and  proceeded  to  the  shore  north  of 
the  bay.  A  quick  plunge  into  the  water  set  their 
blood  going  again  and  roused  their  minds  to  their 
usual  activity. 

Together  they  towed  the  raft  along  the  shore 
to  the  entrance  and  then  rode  in  to  the  bay  astride 
of  it,  as  they  had  before  done  with  the  square  tim- 
bers. This  work  occupied  perhaps  an  hour,  and 
another  hour  was  spent  in  bringing  the  lumber 
ashore  and  securing  it  near  the  timbers.  Then 
the  weary  three  resumed  their  clothing  and  lay 
down  to  sleep  till  breakfast  time. 

Just  before  the  dawn  George  arose  quietly,  and 
making  no  noise  placed  a  yam  in  among  the  coals 

Land  hot  ashes.     After  that  he  went  to  his  fish 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

pound  and  by  the  now  dawning  light  dressed  four 
fish,  which  he  salted,  wrapped  in  wet  leaves,  as 
he  had  done  with  the  big  fish,  and  snugly  buried  in 
the  ashes  to  cook.  He  next  made  a  number  of 
trips  to  the  spring,  bringing  back  each  time  two 
large  oyster  shells  full  of  water. 

By  this  time  his  companions  were  awake  and 
ready  for  a  morning  dip  in  the  bay,  preparatory 
to  breakfast  and  a  hard  day's  work. 

"  The  turtle  has  gone  bad,  fellows,"  said  George 
Smith  as  he  distributed  the  fish,  "  and  so  I  had 
to  give  you  a  fish  breakfast  instead  of  steaks." 

The  boys,  who  had  quickly  tired  of  turtle  meat, 
protested  their  entire  contentment  with  the  meal 
they  were  eating. 

"  You  cook  fish  admirably,  George,"  said  Max 
presently. 

"  Oh,  I'm  a  pretty  fair  cook  I  believe,"  an- 
swered the  boy.  "  And  I  like  to  cook,  but  I  detest 
washing  dishes  and  pots  and  pans.  As  we  have 
no  dishes  and  no  pots  and  no  pans,  I  escape  the 
disagreeables  of  a  cook's  occupation.  Still  I  wish 
we  had  a  frying  pan  and  a  soup  kettle,  I  could 
vary  our  diet  then." 

"  Perhaps  we  shall  be  able  to  get  into  the  Sairey 
Ann's  locker  presently,"  said  Billy.  "  If  we  do 
we'll  get  a  frying  pan  and  some  bacon,  and  then 
we  can  fry  our  fish  for  a  change.    There  are  some 

256 


MALE  FLORA  McFLIMSETS 

other  things  in  that  locker  too  that  I'm  keeping 
my  mental  eye  upon.  But  we  must  think  of  busi- 
ness now.  What's  the  programme  for  today, 
Max?" 

The  commander  of  the  party  had  already 
thought  out  his  plans  for  the  immediate  future 
and  was  ready  with  his  reply. 

"  First  of  all  I  want  you,  George,  to  do  a  little 
of  the  dish  washing  that  you  detest.  I  want  you 
to  take  everything  out  of  the  turtle's  shell,  scrape 
the  inside  of  it  as  clean  as  possible,  scour  it  out 
with  sand  and  sea  water  and  lay  it  out  in  the  sun 
to  dry." 

"  What's  all  that  for?  "  asked  Tibe. 

"  Why,  so  that  we  may  use  it  for  a  water  pail. 
It  will  hold  a  good  many  gallons,  and  if  we  fill  it 
once  a  day  we  needn't  run  to  the  spring  with  our 
oyster  shells  every  time  we  want  to  drink." 

"All  right.  Til  do  that,"  said  George  with 
eager  readiness.     "  What  next?  " 

"  Why,  next  I  want  you  to  go  fishing  while  we 
are  laying  out  another  job  for  you.  Get  as  good 
a  supply  as  you  can,  and  put  them  in  your  pool. 
It  won't  take  you  long,  as  the  tide  has  turned  and 
will  be  at  half  ebb  before  you're  through  with  the 
turtle  shell.  The  fish  bite  best  on  the  half  tides 
either  way.  That's  all  for  you  till  we  get  your 
next  job  ready." 

*S7 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Would  you  mind  telling  me  now  what  that 
next  job  is  to  be?  "  asked  the  boy.  "  You  see  if  I 
know  what  is  wanted  I  may  be  able  to  think  out 
ways  of  doing  it." 

"  Oh,  well,  we  fellows  are  going  into  the  woods 
to  cut  a  large  number  of  vines,  big  and  little,  this 
morning.  We'll  need  some  of  them  in  making  the 
raft  we  shall  use  to  stand  on  while  we  work  at  the 
ship — for  as  we  have  no  nails  we  must  fasten  our 
timbers  together  with  vines.  Then  we'll  need 
others  to  serve  as  stays  for  the  ship  and  pull-ropes 
in  our  efforts  to  right  her.  I  want  you  to  make  us 
some  vine  ladders  out  of  still  others — I'll  show 
you  how.  With  vine  ladders,  which  we'll  find  or 
make  some  means  of  securing  in  place,  we  can 
climb  about  the  ship  as  we  cannot  do  without  them. 
I  want  two  long  ones,  made  of  very  flexible  vines. 
We'll  bring  you  the  vines.  In  the  meantime  you 
can  wash  dishes  and  go  fishing." 

Then,  turning  to  the  others  Max  said :  "  Come, . 
boys,  we  must  get  to  work,"  and  the  three  bare- 
headed fellows — for  all  the  caps  had  been  lost  in 
the  wreck — set  off  into  the  woods. 

"  Be  careful  of  your  clothes,  fellows,"  Max 
called  out  as  they  entered  the  tangle  of  cane,  vines 
and  undergrowth,  "  or  we  shall  be  male  Flora  Mc- 
Flimseys  presently  with  nothing  to  wear.  We 
are  already  in  tatters,  and  our  boots  are  going  fast. 

258 


MALE  FLORA  McFLIMSETS 

If  we  get  into  a  slightly  worse  plight  than  our 
present  one,  it  will  not  be  worth  our  while  to  try 
to  reach  Nassau.  They  wouldn't  permit  us  to 
land." 

It  was  a  good  deal  of  work  to  select  the  vines 
best  suited  to  their  purposes,  cut  them,  disentangle 
them  from  the  meshes  into  which  they  had  woven 
themselves,  and  drag  them  through  the  under- 
brush to  the  camp,  and  it  was  past  noon  before 
Max  felt  that  the  supply  brought  in  was  adequate 
to  the  need. 

George  hr.d  in  the  meanwhile  caught  some  fish, 
and  it  was  decided  that  all  should  rest  while  the 
simple  dinner  was  in  course  of  preparation.  Poor 
fellows,  they  needed  rest  now  even  more  than  they 
needed  food,  and  Max,  who  was  watchfully  ob- 
serving both  his  companions  and  himself  said, 
during  dinner : 

"  Boys,  we  can't  keep  up  this  pace.  We'll  break 
completely  down  if  we  try  it,  to  say  nothing  of 
becoming  seriously  ill.  So  I'm  going  to  forbid  all 
hard  work  for  the  rest  of  the  afternoon.  We'll 
get  on  all  the  faster  tomorrow  and  the  next  day 
for  taking  a  rest  now.  The  only  thing  I  am 
going  to  do  is  to  make  myself  a  pair  of  shoes." 

"  Make  yourself  a  pair  of  shoes !  "  exclaimed 
Tibe  and  Billy  in  a  breath. 

"  Yes.     The  boots  that  I  have  on  are  pretty 

259 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

nearly  at  the  end  of  their  usefulness.  I'm  going 
to  save  what  remains  of  them  to  wear  when  we 
reach  a  habitable  port,  if  we  ever  accomplish  that, 
so  I'm  going  to  make  myself  another  pair." 

"Out  of  what,  Max?" 

"  Out  of  the  long  gray  moss  that  hangs  from 
the  trees  in  the  woods  back  there." 

11  But  how  can  you  make  shoes  out  of  that?  " 

"  I'll  show  you,"  answered  the  young  com- 
mander; "  and  I  strongly  advise  you  to  follow  my 
example." 

Max  started  into  the  woods,  the  other  two  fol- 
lowing him.  Each  gathered  a  large  armful  of  the 
Spanish  moss,  and  cut  a  considerable  number  of 
small,  twine-like  vines,  as  flexible  as  whip  cord 
and  almost  as  strong  as  wire. 

Returning  to  the  camp,  Max  sat  down  and  be- 
gan the  tedious  task  of  straightening  out  the 
tangled  threads  of  the  moss,  using  his  fingers  first 
and  his  pocket-comb  afterwards.  When  he  had 
accomplished  this,  the  others  imitating  the  process, 
he  wrapped  skeins  of  the  moss  threads  about  his 
feet,  ankles  and  lower  legs,  to  a  thickness  of  three 
inches  on  the  bottoms  of  his  feet,  and  two  inches 
at  all  other  points.  Then  with  the  cord-like  vines 
he  quilted  the  mass  together,  and  slipping  one  of 
his  products  off  his  foot,  he  held  up  something 
closely  resembling  a  moccasin,  if  the  reader  can 

260 


MALE  FLORA  McFLIMSETS 

imagine  a  moccasin  made  of  stuff  two  or  three 
inches  thick. 

11  It  looks  for  all  the  world  like  one  of  the  cele- 
brated seven  league  boots,  as  those  aids  to  rapid 
locomotion  were  depicted  by  the  artist  who  illus- 
trated my  earliest  book  of  nursery  stories/'  said 
Billy.  "  It  has  the  same  graceful  contour  and  a 
similar  delicacy  of  outline." 

"  It  isn't  beautiful,"  said  Max,  contemplating 
his  handiwork,  "  but  at  any  rate  it  will  protect  my 
feet,  and  so  long  as  we  remain  on  the  island  we 
are  not  likely  to  go  much  into  fashionable  society. 
So  you'd  better  go  on  with  your  work  and  get 
your  own  shoes  done.  My  job  is  done,  and  now 
I'm  going  to  sleep  awhile." 


26l 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
A  Supper  in  Courses 

DURING  the  time  of  the  shoe  making 
George  Smith  had  worked  diligently  at 
his  task  of  ladder  construction.  Max 
had  shown  him  how,  but  being  an  ingenious  and 
quick-witted  fellow,  George  had  greatly  improved 
upon  the  instruction.  Max  had  suggested  the  use 
of  two  vines  on  each  side  of  the  ladder  with  cross 
vines  for  rungs,  to  be  placed  with  their  ends  be- 
tween each  pair  of  side  vines  and  tied  in  place  with 
smaller  vines.  George  used  only  one  vine  for 
each  side  of  the  ladder,  and  used  sticks,  instead 
of  vines  for  rungs.  These  he  fastened  securely  in 
place  by  notching  them  at  the  ends  and  securing 
them  in  loops  of  very  small  vine.  In  this  way  he 
made  a  much  lighter  ladder  and  a  very  much 
better  one.  It  weighed  scarcely  more  than  half 
as  much  as  if  he  had  doubled  the  side  vines;  it 
was  greatly  more  flexible;  its  rungs  were  stiff, 
holding  its  sides  well  apart;  and  it  was  quite 
strong  enough  to  hold  all  three  of  the  boys  at  once 
if  need  be.     Another  advantage  was  that  George 

262 


:  Are  these  good  to  eat  ? '  " 


A  SUPPER  IN  COURSES 

could  make  the  ladder  in  this  way  much  more 
quickly  than  he  could  have  done  in  the  other. 
Before  Max  had  finished  his  shoes,  George  had  a 
ladder  done,  and  Max  highly  approved  it. 

Announcing  his  purpose  to  manufacture  a 
second  one  after  supper,  George  hopped  off  to- 
ward his  fish  pound,  using  a  stout  stick,  as  he 
always  did,  in  lieu  of  a  second  leg.  A  little  before 
sunset  he  came  hobbling  out  of  the  bushes  carry- 
ing three  red  breasted,  brown  backed  birds  about 
the  size  of  broiling  chickens — that  is  to  say, 
weighing  about  a  pound  and  a  half  each.  The 
birds  were  squawking  and  cackling  almost  like 
chickens.    George  held  them  up  and  asked : 

"  Are  these  good  to  eat?  " 

"  Good  to  eat?  "  exclaimed  Billy.  "  Are  spring 
chickens  good  to  eat?  Are  quails  good  to  eat? 
Is  a  pheasant  or  a  grouse  good  to  eat?  Where 
did  you  get  those  birds,  George?  But  off  with 
their  heads  before  you  answer,  and  we'll  have  a 
marsh  hen  supper  to-night." 

"  Now  tell  me  what  they  are,"  said  George  as 
his  companions  proceeded  to  pick  the  fat  birds. 

"  Why,  they  are  marsh  hens,"  answered  Billy, 
whose  knowledge  of  wild  birds  was  considerable ; 
"  known  scientifically  as  the  '  Rallus  elegans/  and 
science  had  all  its  wits  about  it  when  it  gave  them 
that  name,  for  not  only  is  the  bird  beautiful  in  its 

263 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

plumage,  but  as  a  dainty  something  to  eat,  it  has 
no  superior  except  perhaps  its  smaller  cousin  the 
sora  of  Virginia.  Now  where  did  you  get  the 
birds,  or  rather  I  should  ask  how  did  you  get 
them  ?  For  of  course  you  got  them  in  the  marsh 
as  they  live  nowhere  else." 

"  Well,  you  see,"  said  George,  "  when  we  first 
landed,  Max  suggested  that  we  must  presently  set 
some  traps  and  catch  something  fit  to  eat.  You 
fellows  have  been  too  busy  to  carry  out  that  plan, 
but  I've  had  plenty  of  time,  so  I've  been  setting 
traps  all  around  here,  and  this  afternoon  I  caught 
these  three  dwellers  in  the  swamp.  I  didn't  know 
certainly  whether  they  were  good  to  eat  or  not, 
so  I  brought  them  alive  to  camp,  meaning  to  let 
them  go  again  if  they  were  not  edible.  But  tell 
me  more  about  them,  Billy." 

"  They  belong,"  said  Billy,  "  to  the  family  of 
rails.  There  are  several  varieties  of  rails,  from 
the  small  ones  of  New  Jersey,  which  are  not  much 
bigger  than  quails,  to  this  kind,  which  is  the  larg- 
est of  all.  They  are  everywhere  called  marsh 
hens,  and  all  the  varieties  are  deemed  choice  luxu- 
ries of  the  table.  But  the  kind  called  sora,  and 
this  kind  are  the  choicest  of  all.  At  this  time  of 
year  they  are  as  fat  as  butter,  so  fat  that  they  can't 
fly  more  than  twenty  yards  or  so,  but  their  run- 
ning gear  is  always  in  good  order.    In  the  swamps 

264 


A  SUPPER  IN  COURSES 

of  Virginia  the  sora  are  so  abundant  and  so  fat 
and  sluggish  in  flight  during  September  and  early 
October  that  people  go  out  in  boats  and  knock  the 
birds  down  with  paddles,  instead  of  shooting 
them.  But  with  the  first  sharp  frost  the  sora  com- 
pletely disappear  from  Virginia/' 

"  What  becomes  of  them?  " 

"  That  is  a  question  which  nobody  has  ever  an- 
swered satisfactorily/'  Billy  replied.  "  The  ne- 
groes firmly  believe  that  they  turn  to  frogs.  Of 
course  they  migrate,  but  how  they  manage  that 
when  their  flying  capacity  is  so  small,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  understand.  Besides,  that  particular  va- 
riety of  rail  which  is  called  sora,  is  never  found 
south  of  Cape  Hatteras  even  in  winter.  The  kind 
of  rail  that  you  have  caught — the  Rallus  elegans, 
— abounds  on  the  coast  of  South  Carolina,  Geor- 
gia and  Florida.  I  didn't  know  it  was  found  also 
in  the  Bahamas/' 

"  But  why  not?  "  asked  Max.  "  These  islands, 
or  the  more  westerly  of  them,  lie  only  a  few  hun- 
dred miles  off  the  Florida  coast,  and  in  many  ways 
resemble  that  coast  in  climate,  soil  and  products — 
animal  and  vegetable." 

"  Well,  anyhow,"  said  Billy,  as  he  split  one  of 
the  marsh  hens  down  the  back,  making  what 
cooks  call  a  "  spread  eagle,"  of  it,  "  anyhow  there 
couldn't  be  a  better  supper  than  we  shall  have 

265 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

this  night.  Let's  be  stylish,  and  dine  in  courses. 
If  George  will  cook  enough  fish  for  a  fish  course, 
I'll  broil  one  and  a  half  of  these  birds  and  save 
as  much  more  for  to-morrow.  A  yam  we  can 
call  cucumber  salad  with  the  fish,  and  mushrooms 
or  green  peas,  or  potatoes  a  la  Creole,  when  we  are 
eating  it  with  the  birds." 

"  It  is  astonishing,"  said  George,  as  the  little 
company  picked  the  bones  of  the  broiled  birds, 
"  how  quickly  and  completely  you  fellows  have 
recovered  your  spirits.  Two  or  three  days  ago 
you  were  moping  around  here  with  faces  as  long 
as  my  arm  and  with  your  minds  beset  with  melan- 
choly broodings.  Now  your  cheerfulness,  and 
even  your  playfulness  have  returned,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  you  are  almost  broken  down  with 
overwork." 

"  That's  easily  explained,"  replied  Max. 
"  There  are  two  causes  for  the  change — one  of 
them  physical  and  the  other  moral." 

"What  are  they?" 

"  Why,  three  or  four  days  ago  we  were  badly 
underfed,  on  a  diet  of  oysters  alone.  Since  then 
we've  eaten  abundantly  of  turtle  meat  and  nour- 
ishing fish.  Things  always  look  brighter  to  a 
well-fed  man  than  to  a  half  starved  one.  But  the 
moral  change  is  even  more  important.  Three  or 
four  days  ago,  we  had  no  hope.    Without  a  boat 

266 


A  SUPPER  IN  COURSES 

and  without  tools  with  which  to  construct  one, 
we  saw  no  possible  way  in  which  we  might  even 
hope  ever  to  leave  this  nearly  barren  island.  Now 
that  we  have  at  least  a  chance  of  righting  our 
ship,  we  are  living  and  working  under  the  stimu- 
lus of  hope.  We  have  largely  to  thank  you  for 
that  change,  George." 

"How  so?" 

"  Why,  it  was  you  who  first  suggested  a  plan 
for  getting  the  Sairey  Ann  on  her  keel  again." 

"  Yes,  but  my  plan  was  an  impracticable  one," 
said  the  boy. 

"  No,  it  was  not.  It  was  defective  in  certain 
details,  particularly  in  that  it  did  not  reckon  with 
the  centre  board,  but  on  the  whole  it  was  and  is 
so  entirely  practicable,  that  we're  going  to  act 
upon  it." 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  George,  modestly.  "  If 
I  have  been  able  to  help  in  ever  so  small  a  way, 
I  am  glad." 

"  Help  ?  "  broke  in  Tibe.  "  Why,  wasn't  it  you 
that  made  the  fish  line,  and  plundered  my  pockets, 
and  caught  fish  for  us,  and  brought  water  in 
oyster  shells,  and  built  our  palatial  residence  and 
all  that?  Why,  you  have  helped  more  than  all 
the  rest  of  us  together." 

"  Now,"  said  Max  after  the  supper  was  over 
and  George  was  again  busy  with  his  rope  ladder 

267 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

making,  "  we  must  get  a  good,  full  night's  sleep 
tonight,  and  in  the  morning  we'll  begin  active 
work  on  the  Sairey  Ann.  The  task  of  getting 
her  into  a  position  becoming  to  so  matronly  a 
craft,  will  occupy  a  long  time,  but  I  hope,  before 
another  night  falls,  to  have  solved  the  preliminary 
difficulties,  or  at  least  to  have  found  out  whether 
or  not  we  can  do  the  thing  at  all,  and  if  so,  how." 

"  Just  how  will  you  set  to  work,  Max?  "  asked 
Tibe. 

"  I  don't  know  yet  with  any  certainty.  We've 
got  to  study  that  out,  and  act  according  to  circum- 
stances. We  can't  lay  our  plans  with  any  definite- 
ness  till  we  study  all  the  details  of  the  problem  by 
daylight." 

"  In  the  meantime,"  said  Billy,  quite  irrele- 
vantly, "  I  wish  we  had  a  few  dozens  of  our 
marsh  hen's  eggs  for  breakfast.  They  are  the 
daintiest  and  best  flavored  eggs  that  ever  were 
laid  by  any  known  species  of  fowl." 

"  Perhaps  I  can  find  some  of  their  nests,"  said 
George,  "  if  you'll  tell  me  what  their  nesting 
habits  are,  Billy." 

"  No,  you  can't ;  not  at  this  time  of  year.  The 
rails  nest  only  in  the  spring  and  early  summer. 
So  in  saying  what  I  did,  I  was  merely  indulging 
the  bad  habit  of  idle  and  futile  wishing  for  the 
unattainable.    If  it  were  spring  instead  of  autumn, 

268 


A  SUPPER  IN  COURSES 

eggs  of  one  kind  or  another  would  be  our  chief 
food  supply.  Almost  all  eggs  are  good  to  eat  and 
very  nutritious,  and  in  the  spring  this  island,  un- 
disturbed as  it  is  by  man,  must  abound  in  the  eggs 
of  all  sorts  of  land  and  sea  birds,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  supply  the  turtles  would  give  us.  Every 
turtle's  nest  would  yield  from  ioo  to  300  eggs 
of  a  quality  that  no  barn-yard  fowl  ever  thinks  of 
laying.  But  it  is  October  now,  and  pretty  well 
along  in  October  at  that,  so,  eggs  are  out  of  the 
question,  or  nearly  so.  We  may  now  and  then 
find  the  nest  of  some  bird  disposed  to  raise  a  late 
brood.    But  there  aren't  many  such." 

"  It  is  time  to  go  to  sleep,"  said  Max,  who  was 
already  stretched  upon  his  back,  with  his  eyes 
closed. 


269 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
At  Work  on  the  Wreck 

BREAKFAST  the  next  morning,  consisted 
of  oysters  and  fish,  the  remaining  birds 
being  kept  for  supper.  The  boys  were 
disposed  to  eat  rather  lightly  in  the  morning  and 
at  midday,  making  the  evening  meal  in  fact  their 
dinner,  a  wise  course,  as  it  is  never  well  to  eat 
very  heartily  until  the  day's  work  is  done,  when 
the  work  is  hard,  either  physically  or  mentally, 
and  theirs  was  hard  in  both  ways. 

Almost  immediately  after  breakfast,  the  boys, 
under  Max's  direction,  arranged  the  three  tim- 
bers about  five  or  six  feet  apart,  and  covered 
them  with  the  boards,  which  they  secured  in 
place  with  vines.  Then,  using  long  poles  for 
propelling  purposes,  they  pushed  the  raft  thus 
made,  to  the  place  where  the  ship  rode  at  anchor. 
The  distance  from  the  shore  being  small,  this 
occupied  little  time.  Standing  on  the  raft,  while 
the  boys  slowly  worked  it  around  the  wreck,  Max 
minutely  inspected  every  part  of  the  ship,  except, 
of  course,  the  port  side,  which  was  under  water. 

270 


AT  WORK  ON  THE  WRECK 

When  he  came  face  to  face  with  the  deck,  he 
turned  to  Billy  and  said : 

"  She  has  sunk  so  much,  Billy,  that  the  com- 
panionway  is  within  easy  reach  now.  I  want  you 
to  climb  up  to  it,  and  see  if  you  can't  get  the 
locker  open.  Fortunately  it  is  on  the  starboard 
side  and  well  out  of  water." 

Billy  had  little  difficulty  in  reaching  the  com- 
panionway,  but  it  required  a  good  deal  of  work 
to  get  the  locker  open.  When  that  was  accom- 
plished a  good  deal  of  the  contents  of  that  stor- 
ageroom  dropped  out  into  the  water  that  filled 
the  lower  or  port  side  of  the  vessel. 

Hastily  gathering  up  these  supplies,  Billy 
pitched  them  out  on  the  raft,  before  they  had  time 
to  take  much  hurt  from  the  water.  There  was 
nearly  a  hundred  pounds  of  bacon  and  dry  salted 
pork,  a  barrel  of  ship  biscuit,  a  large,  water  tight 
tin  of  coffee,  a  little  keg  of  sorghum  molasses, 
which  was  fermenting  violently  and  oozing  out 
between  the  staves,  and  a  few  other  supplies  of 
a  less  important  character. 

Having  emptied  the  locker,  Billy  proceeded 
to  grope  around  the  little  cabin — neck  deep  in 
water,  for  the  cooking  utensils.  These,  consisting 
of  the  coffee  pot,  a  large  frying  pan  and  a  large 
sheet  iron  kettle,  all  considerably  rusted  with  salt 
water,  he  succeeded  at  last  in  finding.    Then  Max 

271 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

bade  him  drop  down  to  the  raft,  and,  pushing  the 
floating  platform  around  the  sail  that  lay  spread 
out  on  the  water,  to  the  bow  of  the  ship,  he  di- 
rected Billy  to  make  an  effort  to  reach  the  en- 
trance to  the  lazaret.  "  Lazaret "  is  the  name 
which  the  sailors  sometimes  give  to  a  little  room 
below  decks,  used  for  the  storage  of  spars,  sails, 
cordage,  pulley  blocks,  tools  and  the  like.  The 
word  properly  means  a  hospital,  and  the  sailors' 
use  of  it  was  probably  suggested  by  the  fact  that 
broken  or  otherwise  damaged  ship's  gear  is  de- 
posited there,  making  of  it  a  sort  of  hospital  for 
disabled  articles. 

Billy  succeeded  in  reaching  the  round  metal 
plate  that  covered  the  lazaret,  but  he  could  not 
get  it  open,  as  it  was  screwed  into  its  surround- 
ing metal  frame.  Tibe  and  Max  both  went  to  his 
assistance,  and  the  three  labored  long  at  the 
task,  but  without  avail.  The  failure  was  sorely 
disappointing  to  Max,  who  had  hoped  to  get  some 
pulley  blocks  and  ropes  out  of  that  place  of  re- 
served supplies,  but  finding  all  efforts  to  open  it 
futile,  he  gave  it  up,  and  decided  to  get  on  as  best 
he  could  without  the  badly  needed  appliances. 

He  pushed  the  raft  again  to  the  stern  and  bade 
Billy  climb  once  more  to  the  companion  way. 

"  See  if  you  can  find  the  sextant/'  he  said.    "  I 

272 


AT  WORK  ON  THE  WRECK 

remember  that  it  was  below  decks  when  we  cap- 
sized.    But  it  is  probably  under  water  now." 

Billy  searched  diligently  and  after  a  while 
made  three  or  four  dives  into  the  bunk  on  the 
port  side.  Each  time  he  felt  over  a  portion  of  the 
bunk  and  of  the  ship's  side  below  it.  At  the 
fourth  attempt,  he  came  up,  pushed  his  head  out 
of  the  hatchway  and  holding  up  the  sextant  cried 
out  triumphantly — "  I've  got  it,  I've  got  it." 

"  Don't  come  down  yet,  Billy,"  said  Max,  tak- 
ing the  instrument  and  carefully  bestowing  it  on 
the  raft,  after  examining  to  see  that  it  was  un- 
injured. "  One  good  turn  deserves  another,  you 
know,  and  now  that  you've  recovered  the  sextant, 
you  must  get  the  chronometer  out  if  possible. 
Tibe  and  I  will  climb  up  and  help  you.  First  I'll 
hand  you  the  end  of  a  vine  ladder,"  suiting  the 
action  to  the  word.  "  See  if  you  can't  make  it 
fast  to  something." 

Billy  stood  upon  the  combing  of  the  hatchway, 
but  he  could  not  reach  the  starboard  bulwarks. 

"  That's  just  about  Tibe's  height,"  he  said.  "  I 
say,  Tibe,  I'll  get  inside  and  hold  the  end  of  the 
ladder  over  the  edge  of  the  hatchway  while  you 
climb  up  it.    Then  you  can  make  it  fast  above." 

With  that  Billy  crept  back  into  the  little  hatch- 
way, and  drew  the  end  of  the  flexible  ladder  in 

273 


THE  BALE  MARKED    CIRCLE  X 

after  him.  Putting  his  whole  weight  upon  the 
inner  end  of  it  he  called  to  Tibe  to  climb  up.  The 
tall  boy  did  so,  and  Billy  then  helped  him  secure 
a  foothold  on  the  upper  edge  of  the  combing,  from 
which  he  was  easily  able  to  reach  the  bulwark 
above.  He  made  the  ladder  securely  fast  to  it, 
thus  furnishing  an  easy  means  of  passing  back 
and  forth  between  the  raft  and  the  ship's  perpen- 
dicular deck. 

Max  mounted  at  once,  and  the  three  set  to  work 
to  unscrew  the  post  to  which  the  chronometer 
box  was  attached.  Fortunately  the  chronometer 
was  not  in  the  water,  and  so  far  as  a  hasty  ex- 
amination could  enable  Max  to  judge,  the  time- 
piece was  uninjured  either  in  itself  or  in  any  of 
the  complex  arrangements  of  brass  rods  and 
pivots  by  which  a  chronometer  is  kept  always  level 
and  always  right  side  up,  no  matter  how  much 
the  ship  may  pitch  or  roll,  even  to  the  extent  of 
turning  bottom  upwards.  After  a  good  deal  of 
effort  the  time  keeper  was  got  out  and,  with  the 
post  that  held  it,  laid  carefully  on  the  raft. 

"  Now  we  can  find  out  just  where  we  are,"  said 
Tibe,  rejoicing. 

"  No,  we  cannot,"  answered  Max.  "  The 
chronometer  is  run  down,  of  course,  and  so  I 
have  no  means  of  ascertaining  our  longitude.  I 
can  find  out  our  latitude,  of  course,  but  I  can 

274 


AT  WORK  ON  THE  WRECK 

only  give  a  guess  at  our  longitude.  I  know  what 
it  was  just  before  the  squall  struck  us,  as  I  had 
just  worked  out  the  ship's  position  at  that  time, 
and  I  remember  the  figures.  I  know  that  this 
island  at  that  time  lay  about  five  or  six  miles  on 
our  lee,  or  to  the  east  of  us.  So  if  I  find  that 
the  chronometer  will  run,  I  shall  subtract  five 
miles  from  the  longitude  we  then  were  in,  take  a 
time  observation  here,  and  work  out  the  Green- 
wich time  from  those  data.  The  result  will  be 
inaccurate,  of  course,  but  it  will  be  better  than 
mere  dead  reckoning  if  we  ever  find  ourselves 
afloat  again.  I  think  I  can  reduce  the  factor  of 
error  to  less  than  ten  minutes,  and  with  that  ap- 
proximation we  can  manage  to  find  our  way  to 
a  port,  that  is  to  say,  if  we  succeed  in  getting  the 
Sairey  Ann  into  sailing  condition  again.  Every- 
thing depends  upon  that,  and  one  other  condi- 
tion." 

"What  is  the  other  condition?"  asked  Billy. 

"  Why,  that  we  recover  the  compass  and  find 
it  in  working  order." 

"  That's  so,  of  course,"  said  Tibe,  with  a  note 
of  apprehension  in  his  voice.  "  Of  course,  we 
could  never  find  our  way  anywhere  without  a 
compass." 

u  Oh,  yes,  we  could,"  said  Max.  "  In  a  clumsy 
and  uncertain  way,  I  could  manage  to  find  port 

275 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

without  a  compass,  if  only  I  can  get  our  reckon- 
ing right  or  tolerably  near  right." 

"  How  could  you  know  in  what  direction  you 
were  sailing?  " 

"  By  the  sun  and  stars,"  answered  Max.  "  It 
would  be  a  clumsy  groping,  as  I  said  before,  but 
by  close  attention  and  frequent  observations,  day 
and  night,  I  would  undertake  to  find  my  way. 
Still  we  shall  need  the  compass  badly,  and  our 
next  task  is  to  get  it  out  if  we  can.  I  only  hope 
it  is  uninjured." 

Having  rested  by  this  time,  the  boys  set  to  work 
upon  the  compass.  As  its  support  was  exactly 
over  the  keel,  or  on  the  middle  line  of  the  ship's 
width,  it  was  still  well  out  of  water.  After  a 
search  in  the  little  cabin  a  few  tools  were  recov- 
ered by  diving,  and  with  the  aid  of  these  after 
nearly  two  hours'  work,  the  box  that  held  the 
compass  was  detached  from  the  deck  and  lowered, 
at  the  end  of  a  vine,  to  the  raft.  In  his  eager- 
ness and  haste  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  this 
supremely  important  implement  of  navigation, 
Max  let  himself  drop  to  the  raft,  without  wait- 
ing to  climb  down  the  ladder.  Setting  the  com- 
pass box  upright,  he  inspected  it  closely,  turning 
it  about  to  right  and  left,  tipping  it  first  in  one 
direction  and  then  in  another,  to  see  if  the  card 
swung  freely  and  maintained  its  horizontal  posi- 

276 


AT  WORK  ON  THE  WRECK 

tion  under  all  changes  of  angle  on  the  part  of  the 
box.     Finally,  and  gleefully,  he  exclaimed : 

"  It  is  all  right,  boys !  The  needle  card  swings 
with  perfect  freedom  and  the  gimbals  work  as 
well  as  they  ever  did!  Now  if  we  only  had  a 
boat  of  any  kind,  we  could  go  to  civilization  when- 
ever we  pleased.,, 

"  Well,  we'll  have  a  boat  before  long/'  said 
Tibe  confidently.  "  For  if  we  can't  get  the 
Sairey  Ann  into  shape  again — as  we  probably 
can — we  can  beach  her,  break  her  up,  get  out  all 
our  tools,  and  build  a  new  boat  out  of  her  frag- 
ments, with  the  aid  of  that  lumber  pile  down  the 
shore.  I'm  quite  mechanic  enough  to  manage 
that." 

"  I  believe  you  are,  Tibe,"  said  Max,  "  but  I 
do  not  think  we'll  have  to  resort  to  boat  build- 
ing. I'm  satisfied  now  that  we  shall  get  the  Sairey 
Ann  on  her  keel  again.  But  in  any  case,  now  that 
we  can  get  at  tools,  we  shall  have  some  sort  of 
boat  to  sail  away  in.  It  is  only  a  question  of 
time.  Yet  at  first  it  really  did  seem  as  though 
only  a  miracle  could  ever  enable  us  to  get  off 
this  island.  We  must  go  ashore  now.  George 
is  beckoning  us  to  dinner." 


277 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
The  Beaching  of  the  Sairey  Ann 

DURING  the  little  resting  time  after  dinner, 
— for  Max  wisely  insisted  upon  that  rest, 
always — the  young  commander  took  an 
observation  for  time,  and  set  his  chronometer. 

"  Now  we  shall  know  what  time  it  is,"  he  said. 
"  I've  set  the  chronometer  by  our  local  sun  time. 
To-morrow  Til  work  out  the  Greenwich  time  in 
the  way  I  explained  to  you  and  while  the  result 
will  not  be  accurate,  because  my  data  are  not 
exact,  it  will  serve  us  fairly  well  whenever  we 
set  sail." 

"  That's  right,  Max,"  said  Billy.  "A  week 
ago  you  would  have  said  '  if  we  ever  set  sail/  now 
you  say  '  whenever  we  set  sail.'  It's  very  much 
better." 

At  that  moment  George  Smith  took  out  his 
watch,  and  carefully  set  it  by  the  chronometer, 

"What  are  you  doing,  George?"  asked  Max. 

"  Setting  my  watch,  that's  all,"  answered  the 
boy. 

278 


BEACHING  OF  THE  SAIRET  ANN 

"  But  surely  your  watch  won't  run." 

"Why  not?  I've  wound  it  up/'  said  the  boy 
in  surprise. 

"  But  didn't  the  salt  water  ruin  it?  It  fatally 
disagreed  with  my  watch  and  Tibe's  and  Billy's." 

"  It  couldn't  get  at  mine,"  said  George.  "  This 
is  one  of  the  very  best  watches  made;  it  is  guar- 
anteed not  to  vary  more  than  ten  seconds  in  any 
one  month,  and  the  case  is  worthy  of  the  move- 
ment. It  is  not  only  water  tight  but  absolutely 
air  tight.  Unfortunately  the  watch  ran  down 
while  we  were  in  the  water." 

Max  examined  the  timepiece  admiringly.  Its 
case  was  of  plain  gold,  without  ornamentation  of 
any  kind,  but  very  thick  and  stout,  made  so  in 
order  that  it  might  not  bend  and  so  lose  the  air- 
tight perfection  of  its  fit. 

"  I  selected  that  case  myself,"  said  George, 
"  when  I  went  soldiering.  I  knew  I  should  be 
subject  to  all  sorts  of  exposure,  and  I  wanted  a 
case  that  was  completely  damp  proof.  It  cost 
nearly  twice  what  an  ordinary  gold  case  would 
have  cost,  but  under  the  circumstances  it  was  well 
worth  the  difference." 

"I  should  say  it  was,"  said  Max;  "  and  if  I 
am  ever  able  I  am  going  to  have  a  watch  of  pre- 
cisely the  same  kind.  A  watch  is  like  a  friend; 
if  you  can't  depend  upon  it  with  absolute  confi- 

279 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

dence  it  is  not  worth  having.  Now,  boys,  we 
must  get  to  work." 

The  provisions  and  nautical  instruments  had 
been  landed  from  the  raft.  Such  tools  as  had  been 
recovered,  were  left  on  it  for  use  as  needed.  To 
these  the  boys  added  a  large  collection  of  big  and 
little  vines,  after  which,  laying  off  their  clothing, 
they  again  pushed  the  raft  out  to  the  wreck. 

"  First  of  all,"  said  Max,  "  make  one  of  the 
longest  of  the  vines  fast  to  a  check  post,  Billy. 
You,  Tibe,  take  the  end  of  it  and  swim  ashore. 
Make  it  fast  to  a  tree  and  then  come  back." 

On  Tibe's  return,  Max  directed  Billy  to  cast 
off  the  ship  end  of  the  anchor  line,  and  hand  it 
down  to  the  raft.  Then  attaching  one  of  the 
boards  to  it  he  cast  that  overboard. 

"  What  are  you  doing  that  for,  Max?  "  asked 
Billy. 

"  I'm  buoying  the  anchor  line,  so  that  we  can 
get  at  it  whenever  we  wish." 

"  But  why  not  haul  in  the  anchor?  " 

"  Because  we  can't  do  that  from  here.  The 
anchor  fluke  is  buried  in  the  sand,  otherwise  it 
wouldn't  have  held  the  Sairey  Ann.  We  can't 
pull  on  it  half  as  hard  as  the  ship  has  been  doing 
and  yet  she  has  not  moved  it.  Our  only  way  to 
raise  it  is  to  pull  our  raft  up  to  it,  so  that  the  line 
will  be  perpendicular.    If  you'll  think  of  the  shape 

280 


BEACHING  OF  THE  SAIRET  AN1SI 

of  an  anchor,  you'll  readily  see  that  a  perpendicu- 
lar pull  will  free  the  fluke  of  its  hold  in  the  sand, 
and  after  that  we  shall  have  nothing  to  do  but 
lift  it.  We  will  not  bother  with  that  now.  We 
must  get  the  ship  ashore  on  this  flood  tide,  and 
we'll  need  all  the  time  there  is  for  that.  Come. 
We'll  go  ashore  now." 

When  they  landed,  all  three  seized  the  vine  that 
Tibe  had  carried  to  land,  and  by  hard  pulling  they 
soon  had  the  ship  in  motion  towards  the  beach. 
The  incoming  tide  helped  them  in  this,  and  slowly 
they  drew  the  ship  ashore  at  the  point  previously 
selected  because  of  the  level  and  otherwise  fa- 
vorable character  of  the  bottom. 

When  the  boat  gently  grounded,  Max  seized 
a  little  hand-ax  that  Billy  had  recovered  from  the 
wreck  and  set  off  into  the  woods  with  it,  bidding 
the  others  follow  him.  There  he  cut  a  number 
of  stout  sticks  of  varying  lengths,  which  the  boys 
carried  to  the  landing  place  as  fast  as  he  got  them 
ready. 

"  What's  your  plan,  Max?  "  queried  Billy  when 
they  returned  to  the  wreck. 

"  Why,  we  must  shore  her  up  on  both  sides,  to 
keep  her  in  position  when  the  tide  recedes,  leaving 
her  pretty  nearly  high  and  dry.  You  see  when 
she  loses  the  support  of  the  water,  she  will  be 
disposed  to  turn  over  one  way  or  the  other.     If 

281 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

she  should  turn  over  on  her  bottom,  she  would 
break  her  centre-board  into  kindling  wood,  and 
become  practically  useless  for  sailing.  If  she 
should  turn  the  other  way,  she'd  be  bottom  up  and 
we  never  could  right  her  again.  So  we  must 
shore  up  both  sides  of  her  before  the  tide  begins 
to  ebb/' 

George  Smith  who  sat  on  the  beach  watching 
the  work,  offered  several  suggestions  that  facili- 
tated it  greatly.  Just  as  the  boys  finished  putting 
the  supporting  sticks  in  place,  he  said : 

"  Even  that  may  not  hold  her,  Max,  particularly 
if  it  should  come  on  to  blow." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Max,  "  and  that  is  what  I'm 
afraid  of.  But  I  don't  see  how  we  can  make  her 
more  secure." 

"  I  think  I  do,"  answered  George. 

"  Out  with  your  suggestion  then,"  said  Max, 
eagerly.  "  I'm  badly  in  need  of  better  brains 
than  my  own  in  this  emergency." 

"  Why  not  fasten  a  number  of  vines  to  the 
upper  bulwarks,"  said  George,  "  and  carry  them 
to  trees  on  each  side — just  like  guy  ropes  or  the 
stays  of  a  mast?  " 

Max  instantly  saw  the  force  of  the  suggestion 
and  acted  upon  it,  wondering  all  the  while  why  he 
had  not  himself  thought  of  a  plan  at  once  so 
simple,  so  easy  of  execution  and  so  entirely  effect- 

282 


BEACHING  OF  THE  SAIRET  ANN 

ive.  When  the  guy  vines  were  in  place  it  was 
obvious  that  the  ship  could  not  possibly  turn  in 
either  direction. 

u  Now  the  next  thing,"  said  Max,  "  is  to  unstep 
the  mast  and  free  the  ship  of  her  rigging.  Fortu- 
nately the  spars  are  not  broken,  I  think." 

"  The  main  boom  is,"  said  Tibe.  "  The  break 
didn't  show  in  the  water,  but  it  is  plainly  visible 
now  that  the  tide  is  running  out." 

It  was  true  enough  as  Max  discovered  on 
investigation.  The  boom  was  broken  almost  in 
the  middle,  but  the  pieces  still  held  together  so 
that  the  stick  had  seemed  sound  while  it  floated. 

"  We  can  make  a  new  boom,  of  course,"  said 
Max  with  a  tone  of  melancholy  in  his  voice.  "  But 
it  will  require  three  or  four  days  of  hard  work 
to  make  and  fit  it.  It  will  mean  three  or  four 
days'  longer  stay  on  the  island  than  would  other- 
wise be  necessary." 

"  Well,  we're  fairly  comfortable  here,"  said 
George,  "  now  that  we  know  we  shall  be  able  to 
get  away  in  the  end." 

"  Yes,"  added  Billy,  "  and  you  know  it  is  cus- 
tomary to  allow  three  days'  grace  in  all  business 
transactions." 

"  I  wonder,"  said  Max,  "  what  they  will  think 
has  become  of  us — the  War  Department  people  in 
Richmond,  I  mean.     With  fairly  good  luck  we 

283 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

ought  to  have  been  at  Nassau  a  week  ago,  and  as 
it  is  we  shall  not  get  there  for  two  or  three  weeks 
to  come.  As  one  blockade  runner  after  another 
runs  into  Wilmington  or  Charleston,  bringing  no 
news  of  us,  they  will  settle  down  into  the  firm 
belief  that  we've  had  to  blow  ourselves  up,  and 
will  terribly  regret  that  they  ever  entrusted  the 
bale  marked  Circle  X  to  our  care.  They  won't 
care  so  much  for  us  personally.  We're  only 
pawns  on  a  chess  board." 

"  There  are  always  compensations,"  Billy  broke 
in.  "  The  sorrier  they  are  over  our  failure,  the 
more  they  will  rejoice  when  at  last  they  learn 
of  our  success." 

"  Yes,"  said  Tibe,  "  for  we  are  going  to  suc- 
ceed very  certainly  now\  It  can't  be  more  than 
two  days'  sail  from  here  to  Nassau,  can  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  about  that,"  Max  answered.  "  But  we 
aren't  ready  to  sail  yet,  and  shall  not  be  for  many, 
many  days  to  come." 

"  Oh,  that  is  only  the  time  element,"  said  Tibe. 
"  The  main  thing  to  think  of  now  is  that  we  shall 
ultimately  reach  Nassau,  deliver  the  bale  marked 
Circle  X,  get  a  first  rate  dinner,  put  on  some  new 
clothes,  and  go  back  to  Charleston,  where  you, 
Max,  will  receive  the  plaudits  you  have  so  well 
won,  while  Billy  and  I  make  our  mountaineer 
battery  men  stretch  their  eyes  over  the  wonderful 

284 


BEACHING  OF  THE  SAIRET  ANN 

stories  of  romantic  adventure  we  shall  have  to  tell. 
Oh,  the  whole  thing  is  glorious !  " 

"  I'm  glad  you  look  at  it  in  that  wray,"  said 
Max.  "  Now  let  us  get  to  work,  so  as  to  hasten 
the  time  of  your  day-dream's  fulfilment.  Get 
the  other  vine  ladder  up,  so  that  wre  may  have 
easy  access  to  the  ship.  Then  release  all  the  stays 
that  hold  the  mast  in  place.,, 

When  that  was  done,  Max  set  to  work  with  the 
aid  of  his  comrades,  to  free  the  mast  of  the  sail 
— and  bringing  that  ashore,  they  spread  it  out  to 
dry.  A  few  small  barnacles  had  attached  them- 
selves to  the  canvas  but  it  was  unhurt.  By  the 
time  that  this  work  was  completed  the  sun  was 
going  down  with  night  to  fall  almost  immediately 
afterwards.  The  boys  resumed  their  clothing,  re- 
plenished the  supply  of  water  in  the  turtle  shell, 
brought  some  fresh  oysters,  and  gathered  a 
further  store  of  brushwood.  This  task  was  easy, 
now  that  there  was  a  keen  edged  hand-ax  with 
which  to  do  it.  They  were  able  not  only  to  get 
a  supply  of  wood  within  a  much  briefer  time  than 
before,  but  they  could  cut  larger  wood  which 
lasted  longer  in  the  fire. 

While  the  others  were  thus  engaged  George  was 
preparing  supper.  When  they  returned  with 
their  last  load  of  wrood,  they  found  such  a  meal 
awaiting  them  as  they  had  not  tasted  since  the 

285 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

beginning  of  their  voyage.  The  marsh  hens  were 
broiled  on  the  coals;  there  was  a  pan  full  of 
oysters  fried  with  slices  of  bacon ;  there  was  ship 
biscuit  for  bread,  and  finally  George  had  brewed 
a  pot  of  strong  coffee  in  the  big  kettle  which  had 
been  brought  ashore  from  the  wreck.  They  had 
secured  no  tin  cups  as  yet,  but  the  big  oyster 
shells  served  very  well  for  coffee  drinking  pur- 
poses, and  four  happier  young  fellows  never  sat 
down  to  a  good  meal  with  lustier  appetites. 

The  day  had  been  excessively  warm,  but  the 
sky  was  clear,  and  a  strong  sea  breeze  set  in  with 
the  going  down  of  the  sun.  Indeed  all  breezes 
were  sea  breezes  on  that  little  strip  of  island, 
which  was  not  half  a  mile  in  width,  from  its  east- 
ern to  its  western  shore. 

Thoroughly  comfortable,  and  full  of  confidence 
in  the  ultimate  success  of  their  expedition,  the 
boys  sat  in  the  light  of  the  gibbous  moon  and 
talked  for  hours  before  going  to  sleep. 


286 


CHAPTER  XXX 
Under  a  Southern  Moon 

IT  was  Tibe  who  set  the  talk  going.  He  had 
broken  a  great  block  of  oysters  off  the  bank 
and  brought  it  to  camp.  He  was  now  lazily 
breaking  the  oysters  apart  with  the  butt  of  the 
hand-ax,  when  suddenly  he  asked  Billy,  who  knew 
more  of  natural  history  than  any  other  member 
of  the  party,  a  question  which  he  had  often  asked 
himself. 

"  Why  do  the  oysters  stick  their  shells  together 
in  this  fashion,  till  they  build  great  banks  of 
themselves  ?  And  how  do  they  manage  to  do  it, 
Billy?" 

"  It  is  simple  enough,"  said  Billy.  "  In  the 
spawning  season  each  oyster  gives  off  myriads  of 
little  milky  particles,  each  particle  being  in  fact 
a  baby  oyster.  These  float  in  the  water,  and  the 
fish  and  shrimps  and  the  like,  devour  millions  of 
them.  But  the  moment  an  infant  oyster  comes  in 
contact  with  anything  solid,  it  attaches  itself 
thereto,  and  proceeds  to  build  a  shell  of  its  own 
round  about  its  otherwise  defenceless  self.  It  may 
and  often  does  attach  itself  to  its  mother's  shell 

287 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

or  to  any  other  shell  that  it  may  happen  to  en- 
counter; and  when  a  million  or  so  young  oysters 
attach  themselves  in  this  way  to  a  few  old  oysters, 
it  doesn't  take  them  long  to  grow  up  and  make 
a  great  mass  or  bank  of  themselves.  Then  when 
they  spawn  in  their  turn  their  own  shells  offer 
the  most  convenient  objects  for  their  young  to 
form  an  attachment  to,  or  for  or  with — use  any 
preposition  you  prefer.  These  great  aggrega- 
tions of  oyster  shells  are  so  arranged  that  the 
water  flows  freely  through  the  spaces  between 
them,  so  that  generally  speaking  all  the  oysters 
have  a  chance  to  get  food  from  the  sea  water. 
Now  and  then,  however,  an  oyster  or  even  a  con- 
siderable group  of  oysters,  gets  itself  so  closely 
shut  in  that  the  water  cannot  reach  it.  In  that 
case  the  oysters  thus  cut  off  from  food,  simply 
starve  to  death.  There !  you've  got  two  or  three 
empty  shells  in  your  hand  now,  the  former  tenants 
of  which  perished  in  that  way.  Sometimes  an 
oyster  bank  grows  so  large  that  the  water,  as  it 
flows  in,  is  robbed  of  all  its  food  supply  by  the 
more  favorably  located  outer  oysters,  and  in 
that  case  also  the  oysters  which  first  settled  there, 
die  for  want  of  food.  You  know  how  it  is  down 
at  our  oyster  bank.  There  are  no  live  oysters  in 
toward  the  shore — only  empty  shells,  or  shells 
full  of  mud." 

288 


UNDER  A  SOUTHERN  MOON 

"  But  how  does  an  oyster  eat?  "  asked  Tibe. 

"  Simply  by  opening  its  shell  and  letting  sea 
water  flow  into  it.  The  water  is  full  of  the  ma- 
terials that  serve  as  food  for  oysters.  When  the 
shell  is  full  of  water  the  oyster  shuts  it  up, 
water  tight,  and  proceeds  to  absorb  the  food  stuff 
into  his  pulpy  body.  You  have  heard  the  clicking 
of  the  opening  and  shutting  shells  at  Bluffton 
many  a  time." 

"  Oh,  yes.  I  remember  noticing  that.  But  I 
never  knew  what  it  meant.  It  usually  occurs 
when  the  tide  is  high  or  is  just  going  out." 

"  Yes.  You  see,"  said  Billy,  "  at  high  tide,  and 
especially  when  there  is  a  surf  on,  much  of  the 
floating  spawn  attaches  itself  to  the  top  of  the 
oyster  bank,  and  so  the  bank  grows  higher  and 
higher  until  the  top  of  it  is  completely  out  of 
water  except  at  high  tide,  while  the  bottom  of  it 
is  always  under  water.  The  oysters  between  get 
more  or  less  water  according  to  their  relative  posi- 
tion in  the  bank.  As  the  tide  comes  in  each  opens 
its  shell  till  it  fills,  and  then  shuts  it  wTith  a  snap. 
That  is  what  makes  the  clicking  sound." 

"  But,  Billy,"  said  George  Smith,  "  there  is  one 
thing  I  never  did  understand.  When  the  baby 
oyster  forms  its  shell  the  shell  is  just  big  enough 
to  hold  it.  Now  the  shell  cannot  stretch,  of 
course,  and  yet  as  the  oyster  grows  the  shell  grows 

289 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

too,  and  the  cavity  within  expands,  keeping  itself 
always  just  big  enough  to  hold  its  oyster  tenant. 
I  cannot  imagine  how  the  thing  is  done." 

Billy  picked  up  two  or  three  empty  shells  and 
examined  them.  Presently  he  selected  one  that 
suited  his  purpose,  and  said: 

"  Look  at  this  shell,  George.  You  see  it  has 
little  ridges  running  around  its  edge.  Each  ridge 
represents  an  addition  which  the  oyster  made  to 
his  house  as  he  needed  more  and  more  room.  In 
the  main  he  enlarges  his  dwelling  by  extending  its 
edges  in  that  way." 

"  Where  does  he  get  his  building  materials?" 
asked  Tibe,  who  had  become  much  interested. 

"  Out  of  the  sea  water,"  answered  Billy.  "  The 
shell  is  mostly  a  kind  of  lime,  which  the  sea  water 
carries  in  solution  in  great  abundance.  The  pol- 
ished surface  inside  the  shell,  is  a  glaze  made  of 
nacre,  a  substance  which  all  shell  fish  secrete  from 
their  bodies,  to  line  their  dwelling  with,  by  way 
of  protecting  themselves  from  irritation.  If  a 
bit  of  sand  gets  in  or  if  the  smooth  surface  is 
injured  by  a  blow,  the  oyster  or  mussel  immedi- 
ately secretes  nacre  freely  at  the  point  of  irrita- 
tion. That  is  the  way  in  which  pearls  are  pro- 
duced. Any  oyster  may  produce  a  pearl  now  and 
then,  but  the  so  called  '  pearl  oysters  '  seem  to  be 
peculiarly  endowed  with  the  capacity  to  secrete 

290 


UNDER  A  SOUTHERN  MOON 

nacre,  and  so  they  furnish  most  of  the  fine  pearls, 
though  now  and  then  a  valuable  pearl  is  found  in 
the  ordinary  oyster  of  our  Atlantic  coasts.  Some 
have  been  found  that  were  worth  a  hundred  dol- 
lars apiece,  in  gold.  By  the  way  there  is  a  curious 
true  story  about  pearls,  which  puzzled  the  scien- 
tific people  for  a  long  time.  There  is  a  little  river 
in  Scotland  that  is  full  of  a  pearl-bearing  species 
of  mussels.  For  a  long  time  the  people  near  a 
certain  ford  used  to  support  themselves  by  pearl 
fishing.  This  at  least  was  their  main  dependence 
for  a  living.  There  was  an  old  prophecy,  to  the 
effect  that  if  ever  a  bridge  should  be  built  at  that 
point  on  the  river,  the  mussels  would  cease  to  bear 
pearls.  Finally  a  bridge  was  built,  and  the  proph- 
ecy was  fulfilled.  The  river  still  had  an  abun- 
dance of  mussels  in  it,  but  they  yielded  no  more 
pearls.  The  fact  brought  sore  calamity  upon  a 
worthy  people,  robbing  them  of  their  principal 
means  of  livelihood.  Naturally  it  made  talk,  and 
among  the  ignorant  and  credulous  pearl  fishers, 
the  belief  was  confident  that  a  curse  had  come 
upon  them  for  disregarding  a  prophecy  in  build- 
ing the  bridge.  Finally  scientific  men  began  in- 
vestigating the  matter.  At  first  they  could  find 
no  explanation.  But  after  a  while  one  of  them 
discovered  the  secret.  The  mussels  secrete  the 
nacre  that  makes  pearls,  only    when    they    are 

291 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

bruised,  or  their  shells  are  broken.  They  do  it 
as  a  matter  of  self  protection.  Before  the  bridge 
was  built,  the  peasant  folk,  who  lived  at  the  moun- 
tain's base,  used  to  drive  their  cattle  across  the 
stream  at  the  ford,  to  and  from  the  pasture  lands 
on  the  other  side.  Of  course  the  hoofs  of  the 
cattle  injured  many  of  the  mussels,  and  set  them 
to  producing  pearls.  When  the  bridge  was  built 
the  cattle  no  longer  crossed  through  the  ford  and 
so  the  stream  ceased  to  yield  pearls." 

"  That's  a  singularly  interesting  story,  Billy. 
And  you  tell  a  story  well." 

"  Yes,"  said  Tibe.  "  But  I'm  not  satisfied. 
George  asked  a  question  a  while  ago  and  you  have 
answered  only  half  of  it.  I'm  hungry  for  the 
answer  to  the  other  half." 

"  What  was  it,  Tibe?  "  asked  Billy.  "  I'll  an- 
swer the  other  half  if  I  can." 

"  Why,  he  asked  how  the  inside  of  an  oyster 
shell  grows  so  as  to  accommodate  the  oyster's 
increasing  size.  I  remember  that  my  trousers 
never  would  accommodate  me  in  that  way  during 
the  formative  period  of  Tiberius  Gracchus  Smith. 
I'm  curious  to  know  how  the  oyster  manages  the 
matter.  You've  told  us  how  he  builds  additions 
to  the  edge  of  his  house  but  you  haven't  told  us 
how  he  stretches  the  room  inside." 

"  He  does  that,"  said  Billy,  "  by  absorbing  the 

292 


UNDER  A  SOUTHERN  MOON 

materials  of  the  shell  next  to  him,  and  using  them 
again  in  building  out  the  edges  of  his  shell. " 

"  What  a  sagacious  creature  the  oyster  must 
be ! "  said  Tibe  opening  one  of  the  mollusks. 
"  And  yet  his  countenance  doesn't  sparkle  with 
intelligence,  as  I  gaze  at  him  on  the  half  shell. 
Perhaps  that  is  because  he  never  travels  and  there- 
fore knows  little  of  the  world/' 

"  He  is  adapted  to  his  conditions  and  environ- 
ment/' said  Billy.  "  Therefore  he  gets  on  in  life. 
The  same  thing  is  true  of  all  living  things,  animal 
or  vegetable,  except  men.  Did  it  ever  occur  to 
you  that  all  the  troubles  in  life,  or  most  of  them  at 
any  rate,  are  caused  simply  by  men's  refusal  or 
incapacity  to  reconcile  themselves  to  the  condi- 
tions in  which  they  are  placed?  " 

M  I  remember,"  said  George,  "  that  Horace 
Greeley  once  said  that  every  trouble  in  this  world 
was  due  to  some  man's  inability  to  sit  still  in  a 
chair.  I  suppose  it  is  something  like  that  that 
you  mean." 

"  Yes — it  is  something  like  that.  Man  is  by 
nature  discontented  with  things  as  they  are,  and  is 
always  wishing  to  have  them  some  other  way. 
When  he  gets  them  into  the  shape  he  desires,  he  is 
still  discontented  and  conceives  new  ideals.  Give 
an  animal  or  plant  plenty  of  food  and  the  other 
conditions  necessary  to  its  healthful  living  and  it 

293 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

is  perfectly  satisfied;  but  not  so  with  man.  The 
more  he  has,  the  more  he  wants,  and  he  spends 
his  life  trying  to  better  his  condition.  Singularly 
enough,  he  grows  more  and  more  anxious  for  im- 
provement, as  his  condition  grows  better.  It  is 
out  of  that  eternal  discontent  that  wars  and 
troubles  of  every  kind  arise." 

"  And  yet,"  said  Max,  "  that  very  discontent 
is,  and  has  always  been  the  chief  cause  of  the  ad- 
vance of  mankind,  in  intelligence,  in  civilization 
and  in  every  other  way,  physical,  mental  and 
moral.  It  is  that  which  raises  man  far  above  all 
the  other  living  creatures.  If  a  pig's  sty  becomes 
foul,  the  pig  rests  perfectly  content  with  that  con- 
dition. He  accepts  it  just  as  he  accepts  sun- 
shine and  air  and  rain,  as  a  necessary  part  of  his 
environment.  If  a  man  finds  his  premises  un- 
comfortably or  unwholesomely  dirty,  he  works 
hard  to  clean  them.  He  goes  further.  He  seeks 
to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  such  conditions,  by 
making  drains,  building  sewers  and  in  a  thousand 
other  ways.  If  a  man  is  cold  he  wraps  himself 
in  skins  or  clothing  and  builds  a  fire.  No  animal 
does  that.  If  a  river  lies  in  a  man's  way  he  builds 
a  boat.  And  as  one  fault  after  another  in  his 
boat  is  revealed  to  him  he  improves  in  the  art  of 
boat  building.  In  order  to  communicate  with  men 
at  a  distance,  man  invented  a  written  alphabet  and 

294 


UNDER  A  SOUTHERN  MOON 

devised  materials  for  writing  purposes.  When  he 
strongly  felt  the  need  of  communicating  his 
thought  quickly  over  long  distances,  he  invented 
the  telegraph.  When  he  wanted  more  power  than 
horses  could  furnish,  he  made  a  steam  engine,  and 
he  has  been  improving  it  ever  since.  It  is  in  the 
same  way  with  small  things  and  great.  Men  put 
pockets  in  their  clothes.  They  make  combs  with 
which  to  rid  their  hair  of  tangles.  They  make 
tools  with  which  the  better  to  accomplish  their 
desires,  and  whenever  any  kind  of  work  is  slow 
and  tedious  and  otherwise  difficult,  men  set  their 
wits  at  work  to  devise  some  ingenious  machine 
that  will  do  it  for  them.  From  caves  and  bush 
shelters  to  elaborately  contrived  dwellings,  men 
have  steadily  advanced  under  spur  of  their  dis- 
content at  every  step  with  existing  conditions. 
No  animal  does  anything  of  the  kind.  Genera- 
tion after  generation  the  birds  build  their  nests 
in  the  same  way  that  their  ancestors  did,  and  so 
it  is  with  all  the  other  animals.  Those  of  them 
that  live  now  in  better  conditions  than  their  fore- 
fathers did,  have  been  provided  with  those  condi- 
tions by  men.  No  horse  ever  built  a  stall  for  him- 
self, or  provided  himself  with  a  trough  or  hay 
rack." 

"  That  is  all  true,"  said  Billy.     "  And  yet  ani- 
mals and  plants  have  greatly  improved,  even  with- 

295 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

out  men's  aid,  as  all  nature  and  the  history  of 
nature  written  in  the  rocks,  clearly  show.  I  have 
at  home  a  copy  of  a  wonderful  book,  by  Charles 
Darwin,  which  shows  how  this  has  been  done.  It 
is  called  '  The  Origin  of  Species/  and  was  pub- 
lished only  a  year  or  two  before  the  war." 

"  What  is  its  fundamental  idea,  Billy?  "  asked 
Max. 

"  Why,  that  the  life  of  plants  and  animals  is  a 
perpetual  and  very  fierce  struggle  for  existence, 
in  which  millions  perish  where  one  survives. 
Every  grass  plant,  for  example,  produces  a  hun- 
dred or  more  seeds  each  year.  If  each  seed  pro- 
duced a  new  plant,  and  that  plant  survived,  it 
is  easy  to  see  that  in  the  course  of  a  very  few 
years  the  whole  earth  would  be  covered  with 
grass.  And  so  with  animals.  But  each  plant 
and  each  animal  must  fight  for  the  privilege  of 
living.  Each  meets  difficulty  from  a  scant  food 
supply,  from  varying  climates,  from  other  plants 
and  animals  that  are  struggling  to  live  and  from 
a  thousand  other  sources.  Each  is  exposed  to 
enemies,  and  only  the  strongest,  or  those  that  are 
best  placed  by  accidental  circumstances  survive. 
Then  there  are  other  laws  of  nature  involved. 
Every  animal  and  plant  has  a  strong  tendency  to 
transmit  its  own  qualities  and  peculiarities  to  its 
descendants.     We  know  that  all  kinds  of  dogs, 

296 


UNDER  A  SOUTHERN  MOON 

for  example,  came  from  a  common  stock.  Yet 
no  man  in  his  senses  would  try  to  make  a  bull 
dog  do  the  work  of  a  setter.  That  is  because  the 
bull  dog's  ancestors  have  not  been  trained  through 
generations  to  that  kind  of  work,  as  the  setter's 
ancestors  have  been.  Now  whenever  any  animal 
or  plant  happens  to  develop  a  quality  or  an  organ 
which  helps  it  to  secure  food,  or  to  overcome  its 
enemies,  or  to  escape  from  their  pursuit,  that  par- 
ticular animal  or  plant  has  an  advantage  in  the 
struggle  for  existence.  It  is  more  likely  than  its 
fellows  to  survive  and  propagate  its  species.  It 
does  so  under  a  strong  tendency  to  transmit  its 
own  advantageous  peculiarity  to  its  successors, 
until  after  a  while  the  whole  species  comes  to  have 
that  helpful  peculiarity  by  inheritance — those  that 
did  not  inherit  it  having  succumbed  in  the 
struggle  for  existence.  Thus,  in  the  Arctic  re- 
gions, where  snow  is  eternal,  there  are  none  but 
white  birds.  The  dark  ones  having  been  easily 
seen  and  devoured  by  their  enemies." 

"  That  is  extremely  interesting,"  said  Max. 
"  And  of  course  man  too  has  his  struggle  for  ex- 
istence. But  if  that  were  all,  man  would  never 
have  reached  his  present  stage  of  advancement. 
He  would  have  stopped  and  rested  content,  just 
as  animals  do,  when  they  find  life  easy.  Man  has 
made  a  new  and  a  fiercer  struggle  for  himself,  by 

297 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

reason  of  his  discontent,  his  never  satisfied  ambi- 
tion to  make  things  better  and  better  for  him- 
self." 

"  Yes,"  said  George  reflectively,  "  and  there 
seems  to  me  to  be  another  important  difference. 
When  an  animal  or  plant  gains  any  advantage,  it 
uses  it  against  its  fellows  to  their  detriment  and 
shares  it  only  with  its  own  descendants,  while  if 
a  man  makes  an  improvement  of  any  kind,  all 
other  men  are  free  to  adopt  it  for  their  own  ad- 
vantage." 

"  That  is  true,"  drawled  Tibe,  sleepily.  "  For 
example  when  a  man  found  out  how  to  make 
a  watch  that  would  tell  him  what  time  it  was, 
and  especially  when  to  go  to  bed,  other  men  se- 
cured watches  of  a  like  usefulness.  George  has 
a  particularly  good  specimen  as  I  understand  it. 
I  move  that  he  be  requested  to  report  to  this 
company  of  speculative  philosophers,  what  hour 
of  the  night  it  is." 

"  It  is  a  quarter  past  eleven,"  said  the  boy  in 
blue,  consulting  his  watch. 


298 


CHAPTER  XXXI 
A  Disturbed  Night  and  a  Busy  Day 

MAX  and  Tibe  slept  within  the  hut  that 
night.  Billy  Boker  and  George  Smith 
preferred  the  open  air  and  the  moon- 
light. Late  in  the  night  George  grew  restless  in 
his  sleep,  uttering  a  low  moan  of  pain  now  and 
then.  Presently  Billy  woke,  and  began  observing 
his  comrade  closely.  After  a  while  he  touched 
George,  and  asked  in  a  sympathetic  voice : 

"  What  is  it  that  troubles  you,  old  fellow  ?  " 

Waking,  George  answered,  "  Oh,  nothing 
much.  It  is  only  that  my  game  leg  is  bothering 
me  a  bit." 

11  It  must  be  bothering  you  a  good  deal  more 
than  a  bit,"  said  Billy,  "  or  you  wouldn't  be  conr 
scious  of  it  in  your  sleep.  You've  been  moaning 
terribly.  Now  I'm  going  to  take  a  look  at  the 
offending  and  offended  member." 

With  that  he  threw  some  brush  upon  the  half 
dead  fire  and  created  a  blaze.  After  examining 
the  wound  carefully,  and  feeling  of  the  skin  round 
about  it,  he  asked : 

299 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  How  long  has  this  been  coming  on,  George? 
It  certainly  didn't  all  come  on  tonight." 

"  No,"  answered  the  boy,  "  it  has  been  hurt- 
ing me  a  good  deal  for  two  days  now,  though  not 
so  badly  as  tonight.  I  haven't  said  anything 
about  it,  because  you  fellows  had  troubles  enough 
of  your  own.  That's  why  I  have  been  sleeping 
out  of  doors.  I  caught  myself  groaning  in  my 
sleep,  and  I  didn't  want  to  disturb  you  others." 

"  George  Smith,"  said  Billy,  with  slow  delibera- 
tion, "  will  you  permit  me  to  make  the  purely  per- 
sonal remark  that  of  all  the  men  I  have  ever 
known  you  are  by  odds  the  most  generously  con- 
siderate one  I  ever  met  ?  Permit  me  to  add,  how- 
ever, that  you  are  a  precious  idiot.  You  ought 
to  have  told  me  of  this  when  it  first  began,  so  that 
I  might  do  what  I  could  for  you.  Your  wound  is 
very  angry,  and  the  leg,  above  and  below  it,  is 
bady  swollen  and  inflamed.  It  is  nearly  as  hard 
as  a  stick  of  wood.  If  you  had  told  me  at  the 
beginning,  we  wouldn't  have  let  you  stir  about  so 
much.  That  has  made  it  worse  and  worse,  until 
now  it  is  in  a  really  dangerous  condition.  I'm 
going  to  do  what  I  can  for  you,  with  the  meagre 
means  at  hand,  and  I'm  going  to  tie  you  down 
if  you  don't  lie  still  and  give  yourself  a 
chance." 

The  fact  that  hurtful  inflammation  in  a  wound 

300 


A  DISTURBED  NIGHT 

is  caused  by  microscopic  germs,  had  not  been  dis- 
covered at  the  time  the  events  of  this  story  oc- 
curred ;  but  without  quite  understanding  why,  the 
doctors  had  learned  by  experience  that  there  is 
nothing  so  good  for  a  wound  as  to  keep  it  clean. 
So  Billy  spent  quite  half  an  hour  in  cleansing 
and  bathing  his  comrade's  hurt.  In  the  mean- 
time the  other  boys  had  been  wakened  by  the  talk- 
ing, and  had  joined  their  companions  by  the  fire, 
anxious  to  assist  in  any  way  that  might  be  pos- 
sible. 

M  Go  to  the  bale  marked  Circle  X,  one  of  you," 
said  Billy  presently,  "  and  pull  out  a  big  wad  of 
clean  cotton." 

When  Tibe  brought  the  cotton,  Billy  examined 
it  carefully,  and  proceeded  to  wash  it  thoroughly. 
Then,  wringing  it  out,  he  held  it,  on  the  point  of 
a  stick,  in  the  heat  of  the  fire  until  it  was  com- 
pletely dry  again.  He  picked  it  to  pieces,  making 
a  light,  fluffy  lint  of  it.  Some  of  this  he  pressed 
gently  into  the  wound.  The  rest  of  it,  he  laid 
upon  the  surface  and  bound  it  there  with  thread- 
like bits  of  vine. 

"  We'll  renew  that  dressing  twice  a  day,"  he 
said  when  all  was  done.  "  Now  pick  out  the  spot 
where  you  want  to  lie  for  the  present,  for  I'm 
going  to  put  you  on  your  back  and  string  up  that 
leg  enough  to  keep  some  of  the  superfluous  blood 

301 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

out  of  it.    I  told  you  I  would  tie  you  up,  to  keep 
you  still." 

George  selected  a  smooth  place  under  a  tree, 
and  Billy,  with  a  looped  vine,  gently  raised  his 
foot  to  a  height  of  about  six  or  eight  inches  from 
the  ground,  holding  it  in  that  position  by  fasten- 
ing the  other  end  of  the  vine  to  a  limb  of  the 
tree. 

By  this  time  the  sun  was  up,  and  the  boys  set 
about  getting  a  simple  breakfast. 

"  I  say,  fellows/'  called  out  George  from  his 
recumbent  position,  "  do  you  suppose  any  of  you 
could  find  my  traps?  I'll  direct  you  as  carefully 
as  I  can,  and  maybe  you'll  find  some  game  worth 
having,  in  some  of  them." 

Tibe  undertook  this  errand  and  by  the  time  that 
the  others  had  breakfast  ready,  he  returned,  bring- 
ing several  edible  birds  with  him.  These  were 
quickly  dressed  and  put  away  in  the  shade,  for  the 
evening  meal.  The  breakfast  consisted  of  fried 
bacon  and  oysters,  with  coffee  and  ship  biscuit. 
As  soon  as  it  was  over  and  the  cooking  utensils 
were  properly  cleansed,  the  party  began  work  for 
the  day.  George  had  so  chosen  his  place  of  repose 
that  he  could  see  the  work  as  it  went  on,  and 
speak  to  his  comrades  when  he  wished.  Fortu- 
nately, as  the  day  advanced,  Billy  found  that  no 
fever  had  set  in  as  he  had  feared  that  it  might; 

302 


A  DISTURBED  NIGHT 

and  the  position  in  which  he  had  placed  the 
wounded  leg  relieved  its  pain  to  a  great  extent 
and  even  caused  the  swelling  and  inflammation  to 
subside  somewhat.  But  after  a  while  the  loop  of 
vine  by  which  the  leg  was  suspended,  began  to 
chafe  the  boy's  ankle,  and  Billy,  discovering  the 
fact,  quitted  work  long  enough  to  gather  a  great 
mass  of  moss  and  arrange  it  under  the  leg  for  a 
support,  dispensing  with  the  vine  altogether. 
After  that  George  rested  easily  and  comfortably. 

The  first  thing  to  do  that  day  was  to  unstep  the 
mast  and  take  it  out  of  the  sloop.  This  was  not 
difficult,  inasmuch  as  the  mast  was  not  fastened  in 
any  way.  It  had  simply  been  passed  through  a 
hole  in  the  deck — rimmed  with  metal  and  exactly 
the  size  of  the  mast — and  allowed  to  drop  its 
lower  end  into  an  iron  thimble  or  socket  which 
was  fastened  to  the  keel.  The  removal  of  the 
mast  so  far  lightened  the  deck  side  of  the  boat, 
that  but  for  the  props  and  guy  vines,  she  would 
have  rolled  over  on  the  centre-board  which  stuck 
out  from  the  keel.  That,  of  course,  must  not  be 
permitted. 

For  the  benefit  of  readers  who  are  not  familiar 
with  centre-board  craft,  a  brief  explanation  is 
necessary. 

A  centre-board  is  a  sort  of  fin,  made  of  heavy 
planks,  stoutly  held  together.     There  is  a  slit 

3°3 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

made  in  the  boat's  keel,  just  big  enough  to  let 
the  centre-board  move  up  and  down  through  it. 
Above  the  slit  is  a  sort  of  box,  of  the  same  width 
extending  to  the  deck.  The  centre-board  moves 
up  and  down  in  this  water  tight  box,  being 
handled  by  a  small  windlass  or  by  a  lever  on  deck. 
When  the  boat  sits  upright  in  her  natural  position, 
the  centre-board  is  easily  lowered  or  raised  at 
will.  It  is  drawn  up  into  the  box  when  the  ship 
is  sailing  before  the  wind.  It  is  not  needed  then, 
and  if  left  down  it  would  offer  a  needless  obstruc- 
tion to  the  boat's  passage  through  the  water.  But 
when  the  boat  is  sailing  on  the  wind,  or  with  the 
wind  abeam,  the  centre-board  must  be  let  down 
into  the  water,  to  keep  the  craft  from  "  slipping 
off  "  to  one  side,  and  thus  to  compel  her  to  make 
headway  in  the  desired  direction. 

Now  if  the  good  ship  Sarah  Ann  had  been  float- 
ing right  side  up,  the  boys  would  have  had  no 
difficulty  whatever  in  drawing  the  centre-board 
up  into  its  box.  But  as  she  lay  on  her  side,  the 
friction  of  the  centre-board  against  the  side  of 
the  slit  and  box,  was  so  great  that  after  many 
efforts  Max  was  convinced  that  he  and  his  com- 
rades could  never  move  it  even  an  inch,  by  their 
unaided  strength. 

"  If  we  only  had  a  block  and  tackle,"  he  mut- 
tered meditatively,  "  we  could  do  the  trick  I  thinkr 

3°4 


A  DISTURBED  NIGHT 

But  all  such  gear  is  in  the  lazaret,  and  we  simply 
can't  get  into  that." 

"  I  think  you  can,"  called  George  Smith  from 
the  shore. 

"  How,  George?" 

"  Why,  you  can  break  in.  Now  that  the  tide 
is  nearly  at  low  water,  most  of  the  water  inside 
the  boat  must  have  run  out.  Why  can't  you  go 
inside  with  the  little  ax,  and  break  through  the 
thin  board  walls  of  the  lazaret?  " 

Max  thought  for  several  minutes  before  reply- 
ing. He  went  to  the  companion  way  and  thrust 
his  head  in  for  a  time,  studying  the  situation  of 
affairs  in  the  hold.     Finally  he  said: 

"  Again  we  are  indebted  to  you,  George,  for  a 
most  valuable  suggestion.  Your  plan  is  excellent, 
but  we  must  take  the  cargo  out  before  we  can  get 
at  the  walls  of  the  lazaret.  Come,  fellows,  let's 
get  the  main  hatch  open !  " 

This  was  not  an  easy  task,  for  although  the 
hatch  was  only  a  stout  wooden  lid  nailed  down 
over  a  wide  hole  in  the  deck,  it  was  very  awkward 
to  get  at,  with  the  ship  in  her  present  position,  and 
the  nails  employed  in  fastening  it  to  the  deck, 
were  long,  thick  spikes,  now  very  badly  rusted. 
But  with  the  aid  of  George's  rope  ladders,  read- 
justed for  the  purpose,  Max  finally  managed  to 
get  himself  and  his  comrades  into  a  position  from 

3°5 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

which  they  could  work  at  the  hatch.  Hour  after 
hour  they  toiled,  not  even  stopping  for  a  midday 
meal,  for  now  that  George's  leg  was  again  in  a 
threatening  condition,  they  were  determined  to 
lose  no  time  in  getting  away  from  the  island  and 
into  some  port  where  the  poor  fellow  could  have 
surgical  attention.  They  used  the  little  ax  to  start 
one  corner  of  the  hatch,  and  as  soon  as  they  se- 
cured a  half  inch  crack  at  that  corner,  they  went 
ashore  and  manufactured  a  large  number  of 
wooden  wedges  of  different  sizes.  By  driving 
one  of  these  into  the  little  crack,  they  opened  it 
wider,  and  caused  it  to  extend  itself  along  the  two 
edges  that  formed  the  corner.  Then  they  drove 
other  wedges  into  the  crack  farther  along  the 
sides,  thus  little  by  little  starting  all  the  nails. 
Finally,  just  as  the  sun  sank  into  the  sea,  the 
great  hatch  gave  way  and  fell  into  the  shallow 
water. 

The  sky  was  now  overcast,  with  a  threat  of 
heavy  rain.  The  quickly  on-coming  darkness  for- 
bade further  work  that  evening.  Tibe  picked  up 
George  in  his  weary  arms,  and  carried  him  to  the 
shelter.  Billy  brought  the  moss  on  which  the 
wounded  leg  had  been  resting  and  rearranged  it 
in  the  hut.  While  Max  and  Tibe  prepared  supper, 
Billy  carefully  inspected  George's  wound,  washed 
it  again  and  put  on  a  new  dressing. 

306 


CHAPTER  XXXII 
The  Philosophy  of  Tiberius  Gracchus  Smith 

IT  was  raining  pitilessly  when  the  boys  awoke 
in  the  morning,  and  there  was  that  strange 
chill  in  the  air  which  rain  on  an  east  wind 
always  brings  in  the  usually  hot  climate  of  low 
latitudes.  It  was  a  distinctly  depressing,  dis- 
couraging day  that  lay  before  the  young  cast- 
aways, but  they  were  too  full  of  that  energy  which 
hope  inspires,  to  suffer  depression  or  discourage- 
ment. 

Billy  dressed  George's  wound  while  the  others 
prepared  breakfast.  He  found  the  injury  only  a 
trifle  improved  since  the  morning  before,  but  he 
and  his  patient  consoled  themselves  with  the 
thought  that  at  any  rate  it  had  not  grown  worse, 
"  as  it  easily  might  have  done,"  George  said,  "  and 
as  it  very  certainly  would  have  done  without  your 
kindly  care,  Billy.  As  long  as  I  live  I  shall  never 
find  better  friends  than  you  fellows  have  been  to 
me. 

"  And  as  long  as  we  live,"  responded  Billy, 
"  we  shall  never  find  any  one  more  worthy  of  our 
friendship  than  you  are." 

3°7 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

After  breakfast,  the  boys  removed  their  torn 
and  tattered  garments,  and  bestowing  them  within 
the  shelter,  made  an  early  beginning  of  their  day's 
work.  George  was  not  permitted  to  leave  the 
shelter  on  this  day  of  pouring,  drenching  rain, 
but  at  his  request  Billy  so  arranged  his  resting 
place  that  he  had  the  wreck  in  full  view,  and  could 
interest  himself  by  watching  the  progress  of  the 
work. 

"  I  can't  talk  to  you  from  here,  Billy,"  the  boy 
said  with  the  pleasant  smile  which  even  severe 
pain  could  not  banish  from  his  face;  "  but  if  I 
see  anything  going  wrong,  or  if  I  fancy  myself 
wiser  than  the  rest  of  you,  I'll  i  holler,'  and  some 
of  you  can  come  to  me  for  advice  and  instruc- 
tion." 

"  What  a  brave,  splendid  fellow  George  Smith 
is !  "  said  Billy  to  his  companions  as  they  went 
to  the  scene  of  their  work. 

"  Yes,"  said  Tibe,  "  and  what  a  pity  it  is  that 
when  we  go  back  to  Charleston,  we  shall  have  to 
shoot  at  him !  " 

"  I  don't  much  count  upon  that,"  said  Billy. 
"  If  I'm  not  mistaken  it  will  be  a  very  long  time 
before  he  is  able  to  report  for  duty,  and  the  war 
may  be  over  before  that  time.  It  must  come  to 
an  end  some  time,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  certainly,"  said  Max,  who  had  not  be- 

3os 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SMITH 

— i— — — cj— — b— a—— — — —»■ —■—■ — a— en— a— aim     iiiiiini 

fore  spoken.  "  But  we  are  not  in  South  Carolina 
just  now  and  not  likely  to  be  for  a  long  time  yet. 
It  will  be  time  enough  to  cross  the  bridge  when  we 
come  to  it.  Our  present  business  is  to  get  that 
cotton  out  of  the  sloop's  hold." 

Max  first  of  all  set  to  work  to  make  an  in- 
clined plane  of  boards  and  timbers,  from  the  now 
open  mouth  of  the  hatchway,  to  the  shallow  water 
by  the  shore.  That  done,  he  climbed  up  the  ladder, 
and  made  a  careful  inspection  of  the  cargo,  in 
pursuance  of  his  rule  always  to  master  the  condi- 
tions of  a  problem  before  undertaking  to  solve  it. 
He  found  that  while  all  the  cotton  bales  had 
shifted  as  far  to  port  as  they  could  their  mass 
was  so  great  that  some  of  them  still  lay  above  the 
lower  edge  of  the  open  hatchway.  Two  others 
were  resting  upon  what  had  been  the  starboard 
side — now  the  upper  side — of  the  centre-board 
case. 

All  these  were  got  out  with  comparative  ease, 
but  the  six  bales  that  lay  on  the  port  side,  which 
was  now  the  lower  side  of  the  ship  as  she  lay  on 
her  beam  ends,  offered  a  much  more  difficult 
problem.  They  were  closely  jammed  together,  and 
of  course  they  lay  below  the  lower  edge  of  the 
hatchway  opening.  They  must  be  lifted  bodily  up 
to  that  opening,  and  as  they  had  weighed  about 
five  hundred  pounds  apiece  when  dry,  and  now  in 

3°9 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

their  water  soaked  condition,  weighed  nearly  twice 
as  much,  it  would  be  futile  foolishness  for  three 
young  men,  stalwart  as  they  were,  to  attempt  the 
task  without  the  aid  of  some  mechanical  contri- 
vance. 

Billy  came  to  the  rescue.  "  Fm  diminutive 
enough,"  he  said,  "  to  crawl  through  that  little 
passageway  and  get  at  the  lazaret.  There  are  ad- 
vantages even  in  being  small  sometimes.  Shall 
I  do  it,  Max?" 

"  Yes,  by  all  means,  if  you  can." 
"  Well,  I  can.  Hand  me  the  little  ax,  Tibe." 
Armed  with  that  instrument,  Billy  wriggled  his 
way  through  the  hole  and,  as  he  expressed  it, 
"  committed  a  daylight  burglary."  That  is  to  say 
he  broke  the  side  planking  of  the  lazaret,  and  got 
at  its  contents.  But  how  to  get  them  out  for  use, 
was  a  puzzle.  Not  only  was  it  impossible  for 
him  to  turn  around  in  the  narrow  channel  through 
which  he  had  crawled,  but  as  there  was  not  room 
enough  for  him  to  bend  his  knees,  he  could  not 
even  retreat,  by  any  muscular  force  of  his  own. 
But  Billy  was  always  resourceful.  He  felt  about 
in  the  lazaret  until  he  secured  the  largest  set  of 
blocks  and  tackle  there  was  on  board.  Then  he 
called  to  his  companions  to  pull  him  out  by  the 
heels,  which  they  did,  he  bringing  the  ax  in  one 
hand  and  the  blocks  and  tackle  in  the  other. 

310 


THE  PHILOSOPHT  OF  SMITH 

His  escape  from  suffocation  had  been  so  narrow 
that  Max  would  not  permit  him  to  crawl  into  the 
hole  again,  as  he  wanted  to  do,  in  order  to  bring 
out  the  remaining  stores  from  the  lazaret. 

"  We'll  remove  all  the  cargo  first/'  said  the 
young  commander.  "  Then  we  can  get  at  the  laz- 
aret without  difficulty.  The  block  and  tackle  rig 
is  quite  all  that  we  need  for  the  present." 

Hitching  the  hook  of  the  tackle  to  the  starboard 
gunwale,  and  the  other  end  to  a  cotton  bale,  the 
boys  were  easily  able  to  draw  it  up  and  out  of  the 
hatchway,  whence  they  lowered  it  to  the  shore. 
Repeating  this  operation,  they  succeeded,  by  a 
little  after  noon,  in  getting  out  all  the  cotton, 
leaving  the  hold  of  their  ship  completely  empty. 
They  rolled  the  cotton  bales  well  up  on  the  shore 
where  they  would  dry  in  the  sun,  when  the  rain 
should  cease.  Then  they  went  into  the  empty 
hold  of  the  ship,  enlarged  the  opening  Billy  had 
made  in  the  side  of  the  lazaret,  and  removed  the 
entire  contents  of  that  nautical  storehouse,  which 
Tibe  insisted  upon  calling  the  refrigerator.  They 
now  had  an  abundance  of  tools,  and  a  good  supply 
of  oakum. 

"  We'll  need  both  the  tools  and  the  oakum," 
said  Max  meditatively,  "  and  we'll  need  them  very 
badly." 

"Why,  Max?" 

3" 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Because  the  Sairey  Ann  has  suffered  a  good 
deal  more  damage  than  we  thought,"  he  said. 

"  Why  do  you  think  so  ?  I  don't  see  any  marks 
of  serious  damage,"  said  Billy. 

"  We've  just  had  the  flood  of  a  heavy  spring 
tide,"  explained  Max,  "  and  it  is  now  nearly  low 
water.  It  goes  much  lower,  on  a  spring  tide  than 
on  ordinary  tides,  as  I  explained  to  you  some  time 
ago.  It  has  left  our  ship  very  nearly  high  and 
dry,  and  if  you'll  take  a  peep  inside,  you'll  see  that 
the  water  has  run  out  of  her  hold  almost  as  fast 
as  it  has  gone  down  outside.  That  means  a  very 
big  leak  somewhere  or  a  great  many  small  leaks, 
one  or  the  other.  We  shall  have  to  repair  them 
as  soon  a.s  we  get  the  ship  on  her  keel  again.  As 
they  are  underneath,  on  her  port  side  we  cannot 
get  at  them  while  she  remains  in  her  present  posi- 
tion. Come  now,  we  must  get  something  to  eat. 
For  hurried  as  we  are,  to  finish  our  work,  we 
must  keep  up  our  strength.  We'll  have  special 
need  for  strength  this  afternoon." 

"  What's  the  next  thing  on  the  programme, 
Max?  "  asked  Tibe.  "  You  see  I  like  to  know  be- 
forehand, so  that  I  may  enjoy  thinking  about  it. 
You  know  it  is  a  universally  accepted  truism  that 
1  there  is  more  joy  in  anticipation  than  in  realiza- 
tion.' " 

"  You  are  incorrigible,  Tibe,"  said  Max.   "  But 

312 


\ 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  SMITH 

if  you  think  you'll  rejoice  in  the  prospect,  I'll  tell 
you  that  our  next  task  is  to  get  that  big  lumber- 
ing centre-board  back  into  its  case.  You  had 
better  get  all  the  pleasure  you  can  out  of  the  pros- 
pect, for  I  do  assure  you  there  will  be  precious 
little  in  the  work  itself." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  Tibe  replied.  "  I  like 
hard  work.  I  like  to  struggle  with  difficulties  and 
overcome  them,  thus  demonstrating  human  mas- 
tery over  inanimate  things.  And  then  just  think 
how  glad  we  shall  all  be,  when  we  get  the  thing 
done!  I  tell  you  there's  pleasure  to  be  got  out 
of  almost  everything,  if  you  look  at  it  in  the  right 
way." 

"  That  is  an  optimistic  philosophy,"  said  Billy, 
"  which  it  is  well  to  cultivate.  But  it  is  an  '  ac- 
quired taste/  " 

"  No,  it  isn't,"  protested  Tibe.  "  All  little  chil- 
dren have  it.  It  is  born  in  us,  and  we  lose  it  by 
fretting  and  fearing.  For  my  part,  I  mean  to  hold 
on  to  it.  Now  most  people  would  think  it  a  ter- 
rible calamity  to  be  cast  away  on  an  uninhabited 
island  to  which  ships  never  come,  and  in  a  way 
that  is  true !  But  I  for  one  am  managing  to  get 
a  good  deal  of  fun  out  of  it.  Besides  I  am  learn- 
ing a  good  deal,  and  having  an  experience  which 
I  shall  look  back  to  with  pleasure  all  my  life." 

3*3 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 
Tibe's  Triumph 

AFTER  dinner  Max  made  preparations  for 
drawing  in  the  centre-board.  He  at- 
tached the  five-pulleyed  block  and  tackle 
to  the  chains,  and  ordered  Tibe  to  make  fast  the 
other  end  of  the  rig,  to  a  stout  tree.  Tibe  hesi- 
tated, and  presently  said : 

"  Pardon  me,  Max,  but  I  don't  think  you  can 
do  it  in  that  way,  and  worse  still  I  think  it  will 
be  dangerous  even  to  try." 

"  Why,  Tibe?  And  what  other  way  is  there? 
You  know  I  have  great  respect  for  your  mechan- 
ical ability.     So  out  with  your  thought." 

"  Well,  you  see,"  said  Tibe,  "  while  the  centre- 
board is  completely  out,  and  the  ship  lying  on  her 
side,  the  whole  weight  of  the  heavy  structure, 
plus  an  enormous  leverage,  is  bearing  upon  the 
little  six-inch  part  of  the  board  that  remains  in 
the  slot.  It  presses  the  under  side  down  upon  one 
edge  of  the  opening,  and  the  upper,  innerside  up- 
wards, against  the  upper  side  of  the  casing,  both 
with  enormous  force.    With  things  in  that  posi- 

3H 


TIBES  TRIUMPH 


tion,  it  is  simply  impossible,  in  my  judgment,  to 
pull  the  centre-board  into  its  case.  But  a  five- 
pulleyed  block  and  tackle  exerts  a  very  great 
power.  One  man  at  the  '  fall '  rope  of  it,  can  lift 
a  heavy  iron  safe.  I've  seen  that  done.  Now  if 
you  put  such  a  pull  as  that  upon  the  chains  when 
the  centre-board  is  too  tightly  wedged  to  move,  as 
I  am  convinced  that  it  is,  you'll  break  something 
— the  lever  itself  or  worse  still  the  chains  that 
connect  it  with  the  centre-board.  If  that  should 
happen,  there  would  be  an  end  of  all  hope.  You 
could  not  get  at  the  break  to  repair  it." 

Max  thoughtfully  examined  the  state  of  affairs, 
and  after  a  time  he  said : 

"  I'm  afraid  you  are  right,  Tibe.  But  I  don't 
see  what  else  is  to  be  done." 

"  Well,  I  do,"  said  Tibe.  "  We  must  support 
the  centre-board,  so  as  to  take  its  weight  and  its 
leverage  off,  and  relieve  the  pinch  at  the  edge  of 
the  case.  Then  we  shall  have  only  the  friction 
of  the  lower  side  of  the  case  as  the  board  is  drawn 
in,  to  overcome.  The  block  and  tackle  will  easily 
overcome  that." 

"  ■  The  tools  to  him  who  can  use  them/  "  said 
Max,  quoting  the  adage.  "  You  take  charge  of 
this  job,  Tibe.  You  are  the  fittest  one  to  manage 
it,  and  so  I  place  it  in  your  hands  without  reserve. 
Give  your  orders,  and  Billy  and  I  will  obey  them." 

3*5 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  JL 

"  Very  well,"  said  Tibe.  "  '  Let  not  him  boast 
himself  who  putteth  on  his  armor,  but  rather  him 
who  putteth  it  off/  That,  as  I  understand  it  means 
1  don't  holler  till  you're  out  of  the  woods/  and 
so  I  won't.  But  I  think  I  foresee  clearly  that  be- 
fore tomorrow's  sun  shall  reach  the  meridian 
we'll  have  the  centre-board  snugly  and  safely 
housed  where  a  well  behaved  centre-board  should 
be.  Go  into  the  woods  both  of  you,  and  cut  two 
stiff  sticks  of  perfectly  straight  timber,  about 
seven  feet  long,  or  a  little  less,  and  about  six 
inches  in  diameter.  Strip  the  bark  off  them  and 
bring  them  here." 

There  were  three  large  axes  among  the  things 
that  had  been  got  out  of  the  lazaret,  so  that  all 
three  boys  could  chop  at  the  same  time.  While 
the  others  were  fulfilling  his  instructions,  Tibe 
also  went  into  the  woods  and  cut  six  stout  sticks, 
each  about  seven  or  eight  feet  in  length,  but  he 
did  not  strip  off  their  bark,  or  take  any  particular 
pains  to  see  that  they  were  smooth. 

When  all  the  timbers  were  brought  to  the  shore, 
Tibe  cut  three  notches  in  each  of  the  barked  sticks, 
one  at  each  end  and  one  in  the  middle.  Then  he 
beveled  one  end  of  each  of  the  other  sticks,  so 
that  they  might  fit  into  the  notches  thus  made. 
Taking  some  of  the  boards  from  the  raft,  he  next 

316 


TIBE'S  TRIUMPH 


built  a  little  platform  a  foot  or  two  above  the 
water,  and  immediately  under  the  protruding 
centre-board.  This  was  merely  for  him  and  his 
comrades  to  stand  upon,  so  as  easily  to  reach  the 
centre-board. 

That  done,  Tibe  directed  the  others  to  bring 
one  of  the  peeled  sticks  and  place  it  under  the 
centre-board,  from  the  ship's  bottom  outwards, 
with  its  notched  side  down.  While  they  held  it  in 
this  position,  Tibe  set  up  three  of  the  rougher 
sticks  under  it,  fitting  their  beveled  ends  into  the 
notches.  He  had  purposely  made  these  support- 
ing posts  a  trifle  too  long,  so  that  they  slanted  a 
little  when  in  place.  He  put  the  other  peeled  stick 
in  position  in  the  same  way,  under  the  other  end 
of  the  centre-board  and  supported  it  with  posts  in 
like  manner. 

Then  he  called  his  comrades  from  the  platform, 
and  with  their  assistance,  he  little  by  little  drove 
the  lower  ends  of  the  supporting  sticks  toward 
the  ship  till  they  stood  nearly  straight.  This 
raised  the  barked  sticks  and  the  centre-board 
which  rested  upon  them,  until  it  no  longer  pinched 
in  its  slot. 

"  There/'  shouted  Tibe  in  glee,  "  we've  got  that 
centre-board  on  slick  runners,  with  all  its  weight 
supported.    Now  hitch  the  block  and  tackle  to  it 

3*7 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

and  pull  it  in  slowly.  I'll  stay  here  and  watch  for 
accidents.  If  I  call  out,  you  must  instantly  stop 
pulling.,, 

Every  reader  who  has  observed  a  five-pulleyed 
block  and  tackle  at  work,  knows  that  it  moves  very 
slowly.  The  hauling  in  of  many  feet  of  the  fall 
rope,  moves  the  grappling  hook  not  more  than  a 
few  inches.  But,  at  any  rate,  when  the  boys  began 
to  pull,  the  centre-board  began  to  move,  and  slowly, 
inch  by  inch,  it  slid  into  its  case.  Tibe  nimbly 
climbed  one  of  the  supporting  sticks,  and  placed 
himself  astride  one  of  the  runners.  He  slid  him- 
self along  as  fast  as  the  centre-board  moved,  care- 
fully observing  it,  to  make  instant  discovery  of 
any  obstruction.  After  a  little  time  the  boys 
working  the  block  and  tackle  found  their  task 
growing  harder  with  every  pull. 

"  That  means,"  said  Max,  "  that  as  the  centre- 
board slips  into  its  slot,  it  rubs  against  the  under 
side  of  it.  The  friction  is  much  greater  than  when 
the  thing  was  running  only  on  two  round,  smooth 
sticks  with  no  bark  on  them." 

After  a  time  the  friction  became  so  great,  in- 
deed, that  the  two  boys  could  scarcely  move  the 
centre-board  at  all.  Tibe,  discovering  this  from 
the  slow  motion  and  the  frequent  pauses,  and 
feeling  secure  against  accidents  and  obstructions 
now  that  the  board  was  more  than  half  inside  the 

3*8 


TIBE'S  TRIUMPH 


case,  let  himself  down  from  his  perch  and  went  to 
the  assistance  of  his  comrades.  With  his  great 
strength  added  to  theirs,  the  centre-board  moved 
again.  After  several  minutes  more  of  pulling,  the 
tackle  came  to  a  complete  stop,  and  could  not  be 
moved  an  inch  further. 

"  That  means/'  said  Tibe,  abandoning  his  hold 
on  the  fall  rope,  and  dancing  for  joy,  "  that  means 
that  the  job  is  done !  " 

Running  around  to  the  other  side  of  the  ship, 
the  boys  saw  that  Tibe  was  right.  The  centre- 
board was  completely  housed,  and  the  Sairey 
Ann's  keel  was  free  of  all  obstruction. 

It  was  now  nearly  nightfall,  and  when  the  boys 
had  cleared  away  Tibe's  timber  structure,  their 
day's  work — the  hardest  they  had  yet  experi- 
enced—  was  done.  They  were  very  weary,  but  a 
hearty  supper,  with  plenty  of  coffee,  quickly  re- 
lieved that,  and  the  joy  of  their  success  with  this, 
their  most  important  as  well  as  most  difficult  task, 
rendered  them  rather  indifferent  to  sleep. 

"  How  did  you  come  to  think  of  all  that, 
Tibe?"  asked  Billy. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.  I  simply  saw  that  we 
could  never  draw  the  centre-board  in  unless  we 
supported  it,  and  it  was  a  very  simple  thing  to 
support  it.    Anybody  could  have  done  that." 

"  Yes,"  said  Max.    "  And  anybody  could  stand 

3*9 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

an  egg  on  its  end  after  Columbus  showed  how  to 
do  it.  I  think  it  is  safe  to  say  that  all  good  me- 
chanical devices  are  perfectly  simple.  If  they 
were  not  simple  they  would  not  be  good.  It  is 
safe  to  say,  too,  that  all  scientific,  and  all  mechani- 
cal achievements  of  value,  are  accomplished  just 
as  Tibe  did  this  thing — by  first  finding  out  what 
the  difficulty  is  and  then  using  the  simplest  and 
most  obvious  means  of  overcoming  it.  The 
trouble  with  most  of  us  is  that  we  do  not  clearly 
see  what  the  difficulties  are,  and  when  we  do, 
we're  dull  at  discovering  the  remedy,  however 
simple  and  obvious  it  may  be.  Genius,  in  science 
and  mechanics,  is  mainly  quickness  of  perception. 
Tibe  has  that  quality  in  much  larger  measure  than 
any  of  the  rest  of  us,  except  George  perhaps — " 

11  It  runs  in  the  Smith  family,''  broke  in  Tibe. 
"  Think  of  the  celebrated  Captain  John  Smith. 
His  inventive  genius  was  so  great  that  many  peo- 
ple think  he  actually  invented  most  of  the  marvel- 
ous adventures  that  befell  him." 

Max  and  the  others  laughed,  but  Max  was 
earnestly  thinking.     Presently  he  said : 

"  Well,  I  am  going  to  make  use  of  the  Smith 
family's  genius.  I'm  going  to  put  you,  Tibe, 
from  this  time  forth  in  charge  of  all  our  mechani- 
cal work." 

"  Oh,  don't!  "  said  Tibe.     "  Remember  how  I 

320 


TIBES  TRIUMPH 


got  the  Sairey  Ann  into  Central  Asia,  and  beware 
of  trusting  me." 

"  That  was  simply  an  error,  due  to  inexperi- 
ence," said  Max.  "  Of  course  I  shall  remain  in 
command,  and  especially  I  will  direct  everything 
that  relates  to  navigation.  But  I  shall  set  you  to 
tell  us  how  to  solve  difficult  mechanical  problems. 
We  must  attempt  one  of  them  tomorrow." 

"What  is  that?" 

"  Why,  our  next  job  is  to  get  the  Sairey  Ann 
on  her  keel  without  letting  her  fall  and  burst  her- 
self open.  I'll  point  out  the  difficulties  tomorrow, 
and  give  you  the  benefit  of  all  I  know  about  a 
ship.  You  must  plan  the  means  of  doing  what  is 
necessary/' 


321 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 
Right  Side  Up 

EARLY  the  next  morning,  the  boys  were  at 
work.  At  Tibe's  suggestion,  all  three 
made  a  careful  inspection  of  the  situation 
without  saying  anything. 

"  In  that  way,"  Tibe  said,  "  we  shall  get  the 
benefit  of  three  separate  inspections.  Then  every 
fellow  must  say  whatever  he  thinks  as  to  plans, 
and  together  we'll  work  out  the  best  way  of  pro- 
ceeding." 

"  All  right,"  said  Max,  "  but  first  let  me  clearly 
state  the  problem  to  be  wrought  out.  It  is  simply, 
to  get  the  ship  on  her  keel  again,  without  letting 
her  fall  m  doing  so.  A  fall  of  even  a  foot,  or 
half  a  foot,  with  her  great  weight,  would  injure 
her  badly,  perhaps  irreparably." 

All  three  proceeded  to  the  work  of  inspection. 
Max  and  Billy  went  round  and  round  the  boat, 
wading,  and  as  they  supposed,  considering  every 
difficulty.  Tibe  went  around  her  only  once,  but 
carefully.  After  that  he  cut  a  slender  stick,  and, 
wading  along  the  submerged  gunwale,  carefully 

322 


RIGHT  SIDE  UP 


measured  the  depth  of  water  at  every  foot  of  his 
progress,  from  stem  to  stern.  Then  he  tied  a 
heavy  oyster  shell  to  a  string  and  mounting  one 
of  the  rope  ladders,  let  it  swing  like  a  mason's 
plumb  line  across  the  deck.  When  he  had  finished, 
he  rejoined  his  companions,  and  sitting  down  on 
the  sand,  said  to  them : 

"  The  deck  is  not  quite  perpendicular.  As  she 
lies  upon  the  bottom,  she  leans  a  little  toward  the 
keel — in  the  direction  in  which  we  want  her  to 

"  Are  you  sure  of  that?  "  cried  Billy.  "  I  can't 
see  any  inclination  in  that  direction.  On  the  con- 
trary, she  seems  to  me  to  lean  in  just  the  other 
way." 

"  That  is  a  fallacy  of  the  eyes,"  explained  Tibe. 
"  I  haven't  trusted  my  eyes.  I've  tested  the 
matter  with  a  plumb  line,  and  gravitation  assures 
me  that  the  starboard  edge  of  the  deck  up  there 
in  the  air,  leans  fully  six  inches  toward  the  keel. 
If  we  were  to  cut  the  guy  vines  and  remove  the 
props,  she  would  pretty  certainly  roll  over  on  her 
keel.  If  not,  a  very  small  pull  would  carry  her 
over.  Our  task  is  to  let  her  roll  over  in  that  way, 
but  to  make  her  do  it  very  slowly  and  gently." 

"  Well,  we  can  do  that  easily,"  said  impatient 
Billy,  "  by  holding  on  the  guy  vines." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Tibe,  "  and  by  the  time  she 

323 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

had  rolled  over  by  a  foot  or  less,  she'd  snatch  those 
guy  vines  out  of  our  fingers  and  fall  with  a  thump. 
Do  you  imagine  that  we  three  fellows  could  hold 
her  enormous  weight?" 

"  Tell  us  your  plan,  Tibe,"  said  Max. 

"  Why,  we  must  support  her  and  check  her 
speed  as  she  rolls  over,  with  a  block  and  tackle. 
That  would  be  simple  enough,  if  the  bottom  under 
her  as  she  lies,  were  a  perfectly  regular  slope ;  but 
it  is  not.  I  find  by  sounding  that  she  rests  upon 
a  little  hump  about  amidships.  So  in  rolling  over, 
she  is  likely  to  slew  around.  That  would  put  an 
end  to  our  control  of  her  and  she  would  fall  and 
burst  open  like  a  watermelon,  dropped  on  a  rock. 
We  must  so  arrange  our  tackle  as  to  control  both 
ends  and  the  middle  of  her  at  once.  Fortunately 
we  have  plenty  of  rope  now.  First  of  all,  we'll 
fasten  the  smaller  block  and  tackle  to  her  star- 
board rail  amidships,  and  secure  it  to  a  tree  on  the 
keel  side  of  her.  That  is  to  pull  her  over  with 
if  she  refuses  to  turn  of  her  own  accord.  Suppose 
you  two  get  that  gear  in  place,  while  I  make  the 
rest  of  our  tackle  ready." 

The  two  boys  set  to  work  at  once.  Tibe,  mean- 
while, selected  three  stout  ropes  each  about  forty 
feet  long.  He  attached  one  of  them  to  the  star- 
board check  post  astern,  another  to  the  starboard 
check  post  at  the  bow,  and  the  third  to  a  stout 

324 


RIGHT  SIDE  UP 


iron  deck  ring  amidships  on  the  starboard  or  upper 
side  of  the  ship. 

Then  going  ashore  again,  he  brought  the  free 
ends  of  his  three  ropes  together  and  fastened  them 
securely  to  a  loop  of  rope,  which  he  had  made  for 
the  purpose,  and  into  the  other  side  of  this  loop 
he  fastened  the  hook  of  the  block  and  tackle.  By 
this  time  the  others,  having  finished  their  task, 
rejoined  him.  He  directed  them  to  make  the 
farther  end  of  the  block  and  tackle  rig  fast  to  a 
stout  tree. 

"  Now,"  he  explained,  "  when  we  draw  upon 
the  fall  rope,  the  force  of  the  tackle  will  pull 
equally  upon  the  two  ends  and  the  middle  of  the 
ship  at  once.  She  can't  slew  around  by  so  much 
as  an  inch  at  either  end.  Now  I'll  explain  just 
what  we've  got  to  do.  You  two  fellows  are  to 
hold  the  fall  rope  of  this  tackle,  and  pay  it  out 
very  slowly  as  the  ship  turns  over,  away  from  it. 
Its  only  purpose  is  to  regulate  the  ship's  action, 
and  let  her  fall  slowly  and  steadily.  For  extra 
safety,  you'd  better  pass  the  fall  rope  loosely  once 
around  a  tree,  so  that  no  lurch  can  drag  it  out  of 
your  hands.  You  can  let  it  slip  on  the  tree,  as 
needed.  Now  be  very  careful,  fellows.  Manage 
this  part  of  the  job  well  and  Til  do  the  rest." 

The  boys  did  as  he  had  bidden  them,  and  when 
they  were  ready,  with  the  fall  rope  of  the  tackle 

3*5 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

well  in  hand,  Tibe  seized  an  ax  and  cut  the  guy- 
vines  on  that  side  of  the  ship.  Then  he  ran  around 
to  the  other,  or  keel  side,  and  hastily  knocked 
away  all  the  supports  that  had  been  placed  there; 
stepping  clear  of  danger  he  called  to  the  others, 
to  let  their  tackle  slacken  a  trifle. 

" 1  want  to  see/'  he  said,  "  if  she'll  start  to 
roll  of  her  own  accord." 

But  she  stood  firm. 

"All  right!"  Tibe  shouted;  "now  hold  fast, 
and  I'll  go  to  the  other  tackle  and  pull  her  over. 
As  she  starts,  you  fellows  must  give  slack  slowly." 

Running  to  the  tackle  which  extended  to  a  tree 
on  the  keel  side  of  the  boat,  he  pulled  a  little 
on  the  fall  rope,  and  immediately  the  ship  began 
turning  in  that  direction.  As  soon  as  she  had 
so  far  turned  as  to  make  her  weight  sufficient, 
Tibe  hurried  to  the  side  of  his  comrades  and  di- 
rected them  in  paying  out  line,  he  in  the  meantime 
watching  the  behavior  of  the  sloop  with  eager 
eyes,  his  muscles  tense,  his  heart  thumping  and  his 
mind  strained  with  anxiety  lest  some  mishap 
should  mar  his  work. 

No  mishap  occurred,  however,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  Tibe  had  carefully  provided  for  every 
contingency.  Little  by  little  the  ship  rolled  over 
until  she  rested  upon  her  keel  in  the  sand,  for  it 
was  now  low  water  slack. 

326 


RIGHT  SIDE  UP 


"  There !  that  will  do,"  Tibe  called  to  his  com- 
rades.   "  Make  your  fall  rope  fast  to  the  tree." 

With  that  he  ran  to  the  other  side  of  the  ship 
and  pulled  away  at  the  other  tackle  gear  till  it 
was  stretched  taut,  when  he  made  that,  too,  fast. 

"  What  is  that  for,  Tibe?  "  asked  Billy. 

"  To  hold  her  on  an  even  keel  while  she  is 
aground.  In  other  words  to  keep  her  level.  If 
she  were  afloat  she  would  sit  upright  in  the 
water,  of  course,  but  while  she  rests  on  the  sand 
she  has  an  insatiate  longing  to  roll  over  toward 
one  side  or  the  other.  The  tackle  will  prevent 
that." 

Then  turning  to  Max,  with  mock  seriousness, 
Tibe  assumed  the  attitude  of  a  soldier,  gave  a 
stiff  military  salute,  and  said : 

"  Captain  Voxetter,  I  have  the  honor  to  report 
that  I  have  executed  my  orders,  and  that  the 
good  ship  Sairey  Ann  sits  securely  upon  her  own 
bottom,  as  every  tub  ought  to  do." 

"  Thank  you,  Tibe !  "  answered  Max,  whose 
seriousness  of  mood  was  not  at  all  assumed; 
"  your  performance  does  you  very  great  credit, 
and  I  cannot  tell  you  how  much  we  are  indebted 
to  you  for  it.  But  for  your  circumspection  and 
foresight,  we  should  probably  have  made  a  sad 
mess  of  the  affair.  Now  will  you  two  please  go 
to  the  camp  and  get  dinner  ready?    I  have  some 

327 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

little  matters  to  look  to,  here.  I'll  join  you  within 
half  an  hour." 

The  two  went  at  once  to  the  camp.  Max  went 
to  the  ship  as  she  lay  there  on  the  sands,  with 
scarcely  more  than  her  keel  under  water.  With 
his  jack  knife  he  tried  every  seam,  and  he  looked 
long  and  anxiously  at  the  upper  part  of  the  port 
side,  which  had  suffered  a  good  deal  of  damage. 
When  he  reached  the  camp  and  sat  down  to 
dinner,  he  asked  Billy : 

"  How  much  oakum  have  we  in  all?  " 

"  Not  much.  Only  a  few  pounds  I  should  say," 
answered  Billy. 

"  Then  we  must  pick  a  good  deal  more,  for 
we'll  need  it.  We  have  some  old  tarred  rope,  I 
think?" 

"  Yes,  a  little,  but  not  very  much.  Why, 
Max?" 

"  Why,  the  Sarah  Ann's  caulking  is  started  in 
many  places.  In  some  it  has  dropped  out  alto- 
gether. We  shall  have  to  replace  it.  And  we 
have  some  larger  repairs  to  make  too.  When  she 
went  over  on  her  beam  ends  that  little  howitzer 
of  ours  broke  loose  from  its  fastenings  and  fell 
into  the  sea,  smashing  the  port  rail  as  it  went, 
and  carrying  away  some  of  the  ship's  planking. 
That  damage  is  above  water  of  course,  when 
the  ship  rides  on  an  even  keel,  but  if  she  should 

328 


RIGHT  SIDE  UP 


heel  much  to  port,  as  she  must  when  the  wind  is 
on  her  starboard  beam,  or  if  high  seas  should 
strike  her  port  side,  as  they  must  when  the  wind 
is  the  other  way,  a  small  river  would  flow  in 
through  the  rent,  perhaps  swamping  the  craft.  It 
will  be  your  job,  Tibe,  to  devise  means  of  repair- 
ing that  damage." 

"  All  right,  Max.  We  have  plenty  of  timber 
and  planking  but  we  have  next  to  no  spikes.  I 
say,  Billy,  is  there  an  auger  among  the  tools  you 
got  out?" 

"  No,"  answered  Billy.  "  But  there's  a  brace, 
with  a  full  set  of  bits.  The  biggest  one  however, 
won't  make  a  hole  of  more  than  three  quarters 
of  an  inch  in  diameter." 

"  That  is  quite  sufficient.  I'll  mend  that 
breach,  Max." 

u  What  is  your  plan  ?  You  say  we  have  hardly 
any  spikes." 

"  We'll  do  without  them.  I'll  use  live  oak  pegs 
instead.  They  will  answer  the  purpose  quite  as 
well,  and  by  good  luck  there  is  a  large  live  oak 
stick  out  there  at  our  lumber  pile  on  the  beach. 
By  boring  holes  where  we  want  spikes,  and  driv- 
ing live  oak  pegs  through  we  can  fasten  our 
planking  on,  quite  as  securely  as  we  could  if  we 
had  a  ton  of  the  best  wrought  iron  spikes  ever 
made." 


3*9 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Very  well,"  said  Max.  "  I've  seen  sailors  do 
that.    Now  we  must  get  back  to  work." 

"  Excuse  me,  for  half  an  hour,  please,"  said 
Billy.  "  I  must  dress  George's  leg.  Til  join  you 
as  soon  as  I  do  that." 


33° 


CHAPTER  XXXV 
A  Time  for  Hurried  Work 

WHEN  Billy  joined  his  companions  at 
their  work,  he  wore  a  look  of  serious 
anxiety  on  his  face. 

"  Max,"  he  said  with  much  earnestness,  "  how 
long  do  you  suppose  it  will  be,  before  we  can 
manage  to  get  away  from  here?  " 

"  Are  you  growing  restless  and  impatient, 
Billy?" 

"  Yes,  very  much  so,  since  I  examined  George 
Smith's  leg  just  now." 

"Why,  what's  the  matter?  Is  the  wound 
worse?  " 

"  Yes,  greatly  worse,  and  George  is  feverish 
again.  I'm  seriously  alarmed  about  him.  I'm 
afraid  gangrene  will  set  in  if  we  are  long  delayed 
in  getting  him  into  a  hospital.  If  that  should 
happen,  with  no  surgeon  within  reach,  to  ampu- 
tate the  leg,  of  course  the  poor  fellow  would  die 
without  the  least  chance  for  us  to  save  him." 

"  If  it  is  so  bad  as  that,"  interrupted  Tibe,  "  I 
for  one  will  volunteer  to  work  night  and  day  till 

331 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

we  get  away.  I  will  content  myself  with  one  or 
two  hours'  sleep  in  every  twenty-four.  We  mustn't 
let  that  glorious  good  fellow  die,  if  hard  work  and 
hurry  can  prevent  it." 

11  Certainly  not,"  said  Max.  "  But  we  should 
soon  break  down  and  make  an  entire  failure  of  our 
effort  if  we  should  try  to  work  with  only  one  or 
two  hours' sleep  in  twenty-four.  We  can  manage 
to  do  with  four  hours  each  day,  however,  and 
we'll  do  it.  We'll  let  everything  go  that  we  can 
let  go  with  even  tolerable  safety,  and  we'll  waste 
no  time.  Now  to  work.  The  first  thing  is  to 
caulk.  I'll  show  you  how  to  do  it,  and  we  have 
tools  enough.  We  must  work  above  the  water 
now.  When  the  tide  goes  out  we'll  attend  to  the 
lower  seams." 

With  a  little  instruction  the  boys  quickly  learned 
how  to  roll  the  oakum  into  a  loose  sort  of  rope  of 
proper  thickness,  and  drive  it  into  every  open 
seam.  They  worked  with  all  possible  rapidity 
and  the  results  of  their  efforts  quickly  showed 
themselves  over  a  large  area  of  the  ship's  sides. 
At  nightfall  they  hastily  ate  some  ship  biscuit  and 
bacon,  without  waiting  to  cook  the  latter.  By 
the  light  of  a  brush  fire  built  almost  at  the  water's 
edge,  they  were  able  to  continue  their  work.  The 
light  being  less  than  they  needed  for  the  best  re- 
sults, Tibe  split  up  a  board  of  fat,  resinous  pine, 

332 


A  TIME  FOR  HURRIED  WORK 

which  is  called  "  light  wood  "  at  the  south,  be- 
cause of  its  use  in  making  torches,  and  fed  the 
fire  with  it  from  time  to  time  as  it  was  needed. 
At  midnight,  Max  ordered  a  cessation  of  work. 

"  You  two  take  some  of  the  old  tarred  rope 
and  go  up  to  camp  with  it.  I'll  join  you  presently 
and  we'll  make  a  fresh  lot  of  oakum  before  we 
sleep.  We've  about  used  up  our  supply  and  must 
have  more  ready  before  morning." 

The  boys  went,  while  Max  climbed  aboard  the 
sloop  and  inspected.  Then  he  worked  a  pump  for 
a  while,  after  which  he  went  into  the  hold  again 
carrying  a  piece  of  burning  light  wood  for  a 
torch.  With  an  air  of  pleased  satisfaction,  he 
then  returned  to  the  camp,  where  he  found  his 
comrades  busily  tearing  the  tarred  rope  to  pieces 
and  shredding  it  into  that  condition  in  which  it 
is  called  oakum.  They  had  already  manufactured 
a  goodly  pile  of  the  stuff,  and  Max,  sitting  down 
by  them,  lent  his  practiced  hands  to  the  work. 

"  Fellows,"  he  said  while  his  nimble  fingers 
worked  at  the  task,  "  the  lower  seams  are  all  right, 
or  pretty  nearly  so.  I've  pumped  out  the  water 
that  was  in  the  hold,  and  although  it  is  now  high 
water,  it  doesn't  leak  in  again  to  any  alarming 
extent.  We'll  examine  those  seams  carefully  at 
extreme  low  water  in  the  morning,  caulk  the 
worst  places  we  find  and  let  it  go  at  that.    My 

333 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

calculation  is  that  if  we  get  to  work  early  and 
work  hard,  we  shall  finish  the  caulking  before 
another  night.  Then  I'll  white  lead  the  seams, 
while  you  fellows  work  at  that  break  in  the  port 
gunwale." 

"  Where  will  you  get  the  white  lead?  "  asked 
Tibe  in  astonishment. 

"  I've  got  it  already.  Every  ship  carries  white 
lead  as  an  indispensable  part  of  her  supplies,  and 
we  had  a  keg  of  it  in  the  lazaret.  Now  lie  down 
and  go  to  sleep.  It  is  one  o'clock," — looking  at 
George  Smith's  watch  which  he  was  carrying  by 
George's  request, — "  and  we  must  be  up  again 
at  five." 

By  noon  of  that  day,  the  caulking  was  done, 
and  during  the  afternoon  Max  painted  all  the 
seams  with  white  lead,  giving  the  little  ship  a 
peculiarly  mottled,  striped  look,  which  Tibe  pro- 
nounced "  thoroughly  dissolute  and  disreputable." 
In  the  meanwhile  Tibe  and  Billy  were  making 
good,  though  somewhat  slow  progress  with  their 
task  of  patching  up  the  hole  in  the  ship's  gun- 
wale, and  repairing  the  bulwarks.  Max  joined 
them  in  this  work  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  the 
white  leading,  and  they  had  very  nearly  com- 
pleted it,  when  they  quitted  work  at  midnight. 

They  were  all  extremely  tired,  but  their  anxiety 
to  complete  their  preparations  and  get  away  from 

334 


A  TIME  FOR  HURRIED  WORK 

the  island  in  time  to  save  George  Smith's  life,  sup- 
ported them  in  their  determination  to  rest  content 
with  a  scant  four  hours'  sleep  each  night. 

Billy  had  examined  and  dressed  the  boy's  wound 
twice  during  the  day — the  last  time  about  sunset. 

11  He  is  decidedly  better  to-day  than  he  was 
yesterday,"  Billy  had  reported.  "  The  wound  is 
about  as  bad  as  ever,  but  his  fever  is  gone,  or 
nearly  so,  and  that  is  an  excellent  thing.  Still 
it  may  return  at  any  moment,  and  in  any  case  the 
inflammation  in  his  leg  is  exceedingly  severe. 
The  wound  will  kill  him  to  a  certainty  if  we  do 
not  get  a  surgeon  at  work  upon  it  very  soon.  So 
we  simply  must  hurry  things  all  we  can." 

About  eleven  o'clock  that  night  George,  now 
free  from  fever,  and  quite  perfectly  understanding 
how  heroically  his  comrades  were  working  to  save 
him,  and  how  greatly  exhausted  they  were  be- 
coming, painfully  raised  himself  to  a  sitting  pos- 
ture. With  great  difficulty,  he  managed,  while 
still  sitting,  to  slide  himself  along  the  sand  to  the 
fire.  He  seized  the  kettle,  poured  about  two  quarts 
of  water  into  it  from  the  turtle  shell,  put  a  liberal 
supply  of  coffee  into  the  water,  and,  with  a 
struggle,  set  the  kettle  upon  a  mass  of  hot  coals. 
He  watched  it  till  it  began  to  boil,  when,  after 
stirring  it  with  a  twig,  he  drew  it  from  its  place 
to  one  where  it  would  keep  hot  without  quite 

335 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

boiling.  Then,  quite  exhausted,  he  lay  back  upon 
the  sand. 

When,  a  little  later,  the  boys  made  their  weary 
way  to  the  camp,  they  were  shocked,  distressed, 
and  even  alarmed  to  find  how  the  wounded  fellow 
had  been  exerting  himself  for  their  benefit.  They 
almost  scolded  him  for  what  he  had  done,  but 
he  earnestly  protested  that  he  had  in  no  way  in- 
jured himself,  adding :  "  It's  very  little  that  I  can 
do  now  for  you  fellows,  while  you  are  nearly  kill- 
ing yourselves  with  over-work  and  insufficient 
sleep,  all  for  me.  So,  please,  Tibe,"  as  Tibe  was 
about  to  carry  him  back  to  the  shelter,  "  please  let 
me  lie  here  and  see  you  fellows  refresh  yourselves 
with  the  strong,  hot  coffee/' 

"  The  exertion  doesn't  seem  to  have  brought 
the  fever  back/'  reported  Billy  after  feeling 
George's  pulse,  "so  I  see  no  reason  why  you 
shouldn't  lie  where  you  are  while  we  drink  the 
coffee.  But  you  mustn't  do  that  sort  of  thing 
again,  old  fellow.    It's  dangerous !  " 

"  Yes,  and  you  mustn't  spoil  our  plans,"  added 
Max,  "  by  making  yourself  worse  again.  We 
are  going  to  have  you  comfortably  resting  under 
an  awning  on  the  deck  of  the  Sairey  Ann,  within 
less  than  a  week.  There,  that's  the  last  of  the 
coffee,"  as  he  drained  the  kettle  into  the  oyster 

336 


A  TIME  FOR  HURRIED  WORK 

shells,  "  so  Tibe,  carry  George  gently  to  his  bed, 
and  then  we  must  all  go  to  sleep." 

"  Shall  we  really  get  away  within  a  week, 
Max?"  asked  Billy. 

"  Yes,  I  think  so.  An  hour's  work  or  so  in 
the  morning  will  finish  the  repairs,  and  I've  esti- 
mated the  rest  of  our  task  as  likely  to  occupy  not 
more  than  four  days  or  five  at  most.  Indeed  we 
may  possibly  finish  in  three  days — working  as  we 
are  now — though  that  is  not  likely.  Now  go  to 
sleep.  It  is  after  taps  and  there  must  be  no 
more  talking  tonight." 


337 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 
The  Sairey  Ann  Floats 

NOW  that  the  ship  was  riding  on  her  keel 
again,  and  with  all  her  cargo  out  of  her, 
she  drew  only  a  little  water.  Her  stern 
and  indeed  two-thirds  of  her  length  was  afloat 
at  every  high  tide,  only  her  bow  resting  upon  the 
sand  in  the  shallow  water. 

"  The  next  thing  to  be  done,"  said  Max,  when 
work  was  begun  in  the  morning,  "is  to  get  the 
ship  afloat.  But  we  cannot  do  that  till  high  water. 
It  will  not  be  difficult  then,  I  think.  In  the  mean- 
while we'll  put  in  our  time  working  on  the  new 
boom!" 

"  Why  not  step  the  mast  again  before  pushing 
her  off?"  asked  Billy. 

"  Because  that  would  add  considerably  to  her 
weight  and  draught,"  answered  Max.  "  It  would 
make  the  task  of  launching  just  so  much  the 
harder." 

Billy  had  not  thought  of  that.  Going  into  the 
woods  Max  selected  a  straight  young  tree  of  the 
right  size,  cut  it  down,  and  with  the  assistance 
of  the  others  carried  it  to  the  shore.     There  the 

338 


THE  SAIRET  ANN  FLOATS 

party  stripped  it  of  its  bark,  smoothed  away  every 
inequality  of  its  surface  and  carefully  fitted  it  to 
the  mast,  using  for  that  purpose  the  iron  throat 
from  the  broken  boom. 

By  this  time  the  flood  tide  was  at  high  water, 
and  it  was  necessary  to  set  to  work  at  the  task  of 
launching  the  ship.  It  proved  to  be  a  more  diffi- 
cult thing  than  Max  had  anticipated.  The  sloop's 
nose  was  deeply  buried  in  the  sand,  and  no  direct 
effort  that  the  boys  could  make,  was  sufficient  to 
move  her  even  by  so  much  as  an  inch.  After  sev- 
eral futile  attempts  with  timber  levers  and  other 
devices,  Max  said : 

"  There  is  nothing  for  it,  fellows,  but  to  dig 
her  nose  out  of  the  sand." 

"  Why  not  hitch  a  block  and  tackle  to  her 
stern/'  Tibe  asked,  "  and  pull  her  off  in  that 
way?" 

"  Because  both  our  block  and  tackle  rigs  put  to- 
gether would  not  reach  across  the  bay,"  answered 
Max,  "  and  that  is  the  direction  in  which  we  must 
pull  her.  We  have  nothing  to  which  to  make  the 
tackle  fast  in  that  direction." 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  Tibe,  "  but  I  think  we 
have." 

"What?" 

"  We  can  hitch  it  to  that  anchor  line  out  there. 
The  anchor  will  hold,  won't  it?" 

339 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  What  a  blockhead  I  am,  not  to  have  thought 
of  that,"  said  Max,  "  with  the  buoy  of  the  anchor 
rope  staring  me  in  the  face  all  the  time  and  not 
fifty  feet  away !  Take  a  plank  to  float  the  block 
upon,  Tibe,  and  swim  out  there  as  quickly  as  you 
can.  The  tide  is  beginning  to  ebb  and  we  must 
not  lose  this  high  water.  Make  the  block  securely 
fast  and  then  swim  ashore  with  the  fall  rope." 

Tibe  was  quick  to  carry  out  these  orders,  and 
within  ten  minutes,  the  three  were  pulling  lustily 
at  the  rope,  while  the  sloop  slowly  relinquished  its 
hold  upon  the  sand  and  slipped  out  into  deep 
water. 

Swimming  out  and  climbing  aboard  of  her  Max 
made  the  anchor  line  fast  to  a  ring  bolt  in  the 
deck,  and  once  more  the  Sarah  Ann  rode  easily  at 
anchor.  Observing  her,  with  the  stripes  of  white 
lead  that  streaked  her  hull,  Billy  ventured  the  sug- 
gestion that  "  she  looks  for  all  the  world  like  a 
clown  in  the  circus." 

But  no  time  was  wasted  in  talking.  "  We  must 
build  a  wharf,  with  such  timbers  as  we  have," 
said  Max,"  and  we  must  do  it  at  once." 

"  What  is  that  for?  "  asked  Tibe. 

"  Why,  we  must  bring  the  ship  up  to  some  sort 
of  temporary  wharf,  from  which  we  can  get  our 
cargo  of  cotton  on  board,  without  grounding  the 
sloop." 

340 


THE  SAIRET  ANN  FLOATS 

"  Why  not  leave  the  cotton  here?  "  asked  Tibe; 
"  all  but  the  bale  marked  Circle  X  ?  It  will  take 
a  good  deal  of  time  to  load  it  and  even  a  few 
hours'  delay  may  make  a  life  and  death  difference 
to  George  Smith." 

"  We  cannot  leave  it,"  answered  Max,  while  the 
work  of  constructing  a  temporary  dock  went  on. 
"  We  have  a  double  need  of  it.  We  must  have 
it  for  ballast,  or  the  Sairey  Ann  will  capsize  in 
the  first  blow  we  encounter,  and  we  must  have  it 
also  as  a  security  against  sinking  if  we  happen  to 
spring  a  leak." 

"  In  other  words,"  Billy  interrupted,  "  we  need 
that  cotton  for  the  sake  of  its  weight,  and  we 
need  it  for  the  sake  of  its  lack  of  weight." 

"  Well,  you  see — "  began  Max. 

"Oh,  don't  explain  it,  Max,"  Billy  broke  in; 
"  I  quite  understand  the  thing,  and  we  mustn't 
talk  now  but  work." 

The  boys  arranged  their  timbers  into  a  sort  of 
frame  work  and  covered  them  with  the  planks, 
making  a  long  floating  pier,  which  they  secured 
to  the  shore  with  vines  attached  to  trees,  and 
held  firmly  in  place  with  stout  stakes  driven  into 
the  sand  at  the  outer  end. 

This  made  a  wharf  at  the  outer  edge  of  which 
there  was  more  than  six  feet  of  water  at  low  tide. 
The  boys  then  returned  to  their  task  of  completing 

341 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

the  new  boom  and  transferring  to  it  all  the  fix- 
tures of  the  old  one. 

"  Now,"  said  Max,  when  that  was  done,  "  we 
must  bring  the  Sarah  Ann  to  the  wharf,  and  first 
we  must  raise  the  anchor.    Come  on,  both  of  you." 

With  that  they  all  plunged  into  the  water,  and 
swam  to  the  ship.  Climbing  aboard,  they  attached 
the  anchor  line  to  the  windlass,  and  slowly  drew 
the  sloop  toward  the  anchor,  till  the  line  stretched 
straight  down  and  the  anchor  let  go  its  hold  upon 
the  bottom.  As  soon  as  it  was  aboard,  Max  un- 
bent the  line  from  its  fastening,  and  taking  the 
end  of  it  in  his  hand,  leaped  overboard,  calling 
out  to  his  companions: 

"  One  of  you  come  ashore  with  me,  while  the 
other  pays  out  rope  to  us." 

When  he  and  Tibe  reached  shore,  Max  hastily 
fastened  the  rope  to  a  tree  and  called  to  Billy, 
who  had  remained  on  board,  to  haul  in  by  the 
windlass.  In  a  brief  while  the  sloop  was  brought 
in  safety  to  the  wharf,  with  her  port  side  lying 
across  its  end,  and  securely  made  fast  to  the  shore 
at  bow  and  stern. 

It  was  by  this  time  within  less  than  an  hour  of 
sunset  and  all  the  boys  were  manifestly  growing 
weak,  with  their  hard  work,  their  loss  of  sleep, 
their  hurried  way  of  eating, — they  had  taken  no 

342 


THE  SAIRET  ANN  FLOATS 

dinner  at  all  that  day — and  above  all,  because  of 
their  anxiety  for  George. 

"  We  must  eat  now,  abundantly  and  without 
hurry/'  said  Max;  "otherwise  we  shall  not  have 
strength  for  the  hard  work  we  must  do  tonight." 

"  What  is  it,  Max?  "  asked  Billy. 

"  We  must  step  that  mast  before  we  sleep,  and 
rig  the  sails  ready  for  use.  We're  nearing  the 
end  of  our  preparations  now,  and  I  hope  to  finish 
them  tomorrow  night.  At  any  rate,  we  must  try 
for  that.  At  present,  our  chief  business  is  to  get 
the  heartiest,  wholesomest  supper  we  can.  Tibe, 
you  go  down  the  beach  and  bring  a  quantity  of 
oysters.  You,  Billy,  attend  to  George's  wound. 
I  will  go  the  rounds  of  the  traps  and  see  if  there 
is  any  game  in  them.  Is  there  any  fish  in  George's 
pound?" 

"No,"  answered  Billy;  "not  even  a  fin  or  a 
scale.  But  perhaps  I  can  catch  some  before  you 
and  Tibe  get  back.    I'll  try,  at  any  rate." 

Billy  found  George  nearly  free  from  fever,  but 
the  wound  showed  no  improvement.  "  The  only 
good  thing  about  it,"  he  muttered  to  himself  as 
he  dressed  the  hurt,  "  is  that  it  doesn't  seem  to  be 
in  any  marked  degree  worse  than  it  was  this  morn- 
ing. 

Having  finished  his  attention  to  the  invalid, 

343 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

Billy  took  the  hook  and  line  and  hurried  to  the 
pier.  Climbing  aboard  the  ship  for  the  sake  of 
reaching  the  deep  water  on  the  other  side  he 
dropped  in  his  line.  A  minute  later  he  landed  a 
fine  large  fish  of  a  variety  unknown  to  him,  on 
the  deck.  Leaping  down  to  the  wharf,  he  hastily 
cleaned  his  fish,  and  then  hurried  back  to  the 
camp  fire  where  he  buried  it  in  the  coals. 

Soon  afterwards  Tibe  returned  with  a  liberal 
supply  of  oysters  and  Max  soon  followed,  bear- 
ing two  marsh  hens. 

"  We're  quite  all  right  for  supper  now,"  said 
Billy  gleefully.  "  We  have  everything  necessary 
— especially  an  abundant  supply  of  appetites.  Pick 
your  birds  while  I  make  a  pot  of  coffee.  Then  I'll 
feed  you  both — not  forgetting  myself— on  oysters, 
while  you're  getting  the  game  ready  for  broiling." 

Neither  of  the  others  had  thought  to  ask  Billy 
anything  about  the  results  of  his  fishing,  and  Billy 
had  no  mind  to  volunteer  information  on  that 
head  for  the  present.  Having  set  his  coffee  to 
steep,  he  threw  some  oysters  on  the  fire,  and  as 
they  opened  their  shells  under  the  influence  of  the 
heat,  he  fed  them  one  by  one  to  his  comrades,  de- 
vouring his  own  share  as  he  did  so.  When  the 
birds  were  ready  for  the  coals,  Billy  drew  his  fish 
from  the  ashes,  and  served  it  on  a  palm  leaf,  to 
the  pleased  surprise  of  his  comrades.     George, 

344 


THE  SAIRET  ANN  FLOATS 

especially,  was  the  better  for  this  dainty,  as  in  his 
condition,  it  was  unsafe  for  him  to  eat  heavier 
food.  For  two  or  three  days  past,  he  had  eaten 
almost  nothing,  but  now  that  his  fever  was  gone 
he  had  an  appetite.  He  ate  a  bit  of  one  of  the 
birds  also,  and  soon  afterwards  dropped  to  sleep. 
11  Now  for  half  an  hour's  rest,"  said  Max,  fin- 
ishing his  coffee.  "  It  won't  be  a  waste  of  time, 
for  we'll  work  all  the  better  for  letting  our  supper 
digest." 


345 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 
Toilers  of  the  Night 

AFTER  a  brief  but  refreshing  rest,  the  boys 
returned  to  their  work. 
"  We  shall  need  plenty  of  light/'  said 
Max  throwing  down  the  burning  brand  he  had 
brought  with  him  and  heaping  some  dry  brush 
upon  it.  "  Split  up  a  good  supply  of  light  wood 
boys,  while  I  see  just  what  is  to  be  done  first." 

After  inspecting  carefully,  Max  rigged  up  a 
short  tackle  and  attached  it  to  the  mast,  which  lay 
on  shore. 

11  We  can  carry  the  stick,  Max,"  said  Tibe. 

"  Yes,  but  it  is  very  heavy,  and  we  mustn't 
waste  our  strength.  We've  none  too  much  of  that 
equipment  at  best.  We'll  use  mechanical  aids 
wherever  they  will  serve  our  purpose." 

He  drew  in  on  the  tackle,  dragging  the  mast 
fiom  the  shore  to  the  wharf  and  thence  lifting  it 
up  the  side  of  the  ship  to  the  level  of  the  gun- 
wale. Tibe  and  Billy  were  by  that  time  on  deck, 
ready  to  lift  the  timber  aboard.  Proceeding  in 
the  same  way  with  the  new  boom,  they  soon  had 

346 


TOILERS  OF  THE  NIGHT 

!■■«■■■■■!  I 

that  also  in  place.  They  laid  it  along  the  deck 
fore  and  aft,  with  its  throat  just  above  the  ring 
through  which  the  mast  was  to  be  inserted.  As 
there  was  nothing  above  the  deck,  to  which  to 
attach  a  tackle,  it  was  necessary  to  raise  the  mast 
into  place  by  sheer  muscular  strength,  and  the 
task  was  a  difficult  one.  When  at  last  it  was  ac- 
complished, the  tired  youths  felt  themselves  nearly 
exhausted.  But  as  their  next  task,  the  rigging  of 
the  sail,  the  adjustment  of  stays,  halyards,  and  the 
like,  involved  very  little  of  severe  muscular  ex- 
ertion, they  adhered  to  their  determination  to  con- 
tinue their  work  until  midnight.  They  rested  for 
a  brief  time,  and  then,  under  Max's  skilled  di- 
rection, fitted  new  ropes  where  the  old  ones  had 
been  broken,  and  little  by  little  got  all  the  sailing 
gear  into  running  order.  Just  before  finishing, 
Max  asked  Billy  to  go  up  to  the  camp  and  look 
after  George  Smith,  while  he  and  Tibe  should 
complete  the  remaining  details. 

Before  they  had  quite  accomplished  that,  Billy 
came  hurrying  back  with  a  scared  look  in  his  face, 
and  climbing  to  the  deck,  said: 

"  Max,  I'm  afraid  we're  too  late  to  save  that 
poor  fellow.  He  is  in  a  raging  fever,  and  so 
delirious  that  he  does  not  even  recognize  me.  He 
is  raving  about  being  compelled  to  shoot  at  us 
fellows.     It  is  pitiful/' 

347 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  It  is  so,  certainly,"  said  Max.  "  But  isn't  it 
a  little  curious  that  so  high  a  fever  should  have 
developed  so  suddenly?  Four  or  five  hours  ago 
he  had  no  fever  at  all.  Wounds  like  his  do  not 
usually  behave  in  that  way,  do  they  ?  " 

"  No,  and  that  puzzles  me.  It  also  gives  me  a 
little  hope,  if  only  we  can  get  away  from  here  soon 
enough." 

"  How  do  you  mean,  Billy  ?  Tell  us  what  is  in 
your  mind." 

"  Why,  I  can't  think  George's  fever  comes  alto- 
gether from  his  wound.  If  it  did,  it  would  not 
die  out  and  come  back  again  as  it  does.  So  much 
fever  as  he  has  had,  if  it  had  been  due  solely  to 
an  inflamed  wound,  would  surely  have  brought 
gangrene  with  it,  and  George  would  have  died 
days  and  days  ago.  He  is  not  acclimated  to  our 
South  Carolina  coast  country,  you  know,  and  I 
suspect  that  he  has  contracted  country  fever  there. 
If  he  were  not  wounded,  or  if  his  wound  were 
a  good  deal  less  inflamed  than  it  is,  I  should  be 
sure  of  that.  As  it  is,  I  don't  know,  but  I  would 
give  him  calomel  and  quinine  on  the  chance  of  it 
being  so,  if  we  had  a  medicine  chest  aboard.  As 
we  haven't,  of  course  we  can  do  nothing." 

"  Yes,  we  can,"  said  Max  thoughtfully,  and 
speaking  very  slowly.  "  Yes,  we  can  if  you  fel- 
lows still  feel  yourselves  equal  to  a  spurt  of  work." 

348 


TOILERS  OF  THE  NIGHT 

"  How?  What  do  you  propose?  "  asked  both 
the  others  in  unison. 

"  Why,  next  to  quinine,  there  is  no  remedy  so 
effective  in  malarial  fevers,  as  movement,  change, 
travel.  So  if  you  fellows  feel  equal  to  it,  I  pro- 
pose that  we  work  all  night  tonight,  and  sail 
out  of  this  bay  on  the  ebb  tide  which  will  begin 
a  little  before  noon  tomorrow — or  today  rather, 
for  it  is  now  past  midnight.  Perhaps  the  change 
and  the  sea  air  may  so  far  benefit  our  companion 
as  to  enable  us  even  yet  to  get  him  into  a  hos- 
pital." 

Billy  answered  through  his  set  teeth :  "  I  for 
one,  am  ready  to  work  till  I  drop  in  my  tracks 
to  save  George  Smith's  life." 

Tibe  solemnly  said :  "  Amen,"  and  then  added : 
"  Tell  us  quick  what  to  do  next,  Max.  We  abso- 
lutely must  not  lose  that  tide,  though  just  why  we 
must  go  out  on  an  ebb  tide  I  don't  at  all  under- 
stand." 

"  The  current,"  said  Max,  as  he  hurriedly  tied 
the  last  knots  needed  in  the  ship's  gear,  "  the  cur- 
rent in  the  entrance  of  the  bay,  would  be  too 
strong  for  us  on  a  flood  tide — " 

"  Oh,  yes,  now  I  see,"  broke  in  Tibe,  "  and  on 
the  ebb  it  will  float  us  out  whether  there's  a  wind 
or  not." 

"  Precisely.     Now  go  ashore  and  roll  cotton 

349 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

bales  to  the  ship,  both  of  you,  while  I  rig  a  hoist 
here." 

The  two  set  to  work  as  lustily  as  if  they  had 
not  used  their  muscles  for  a  week  past  and  felt 
the  need  of  exercise.  In  the  meanwhile  Max  fas- 
tened a  simple  two-pulleyed  block  and  tackle  rig  to 
the  top  of  the  mast,  and  attaching  a  pair  of  hoist- 
ing tongs,  like  those  of  the  ice  man,  but  larger, 
to  its  end,  was  ready  for  hoisting  the  cotton 
aboard.  He  instantly  joined  his  comrades  in  their 
part  of  the  work,  and  although  the  cotton  lay  at 
some  distance  from  the  point  at  which  they  had 
built  their  pier  for  the  sake  of  the  deep  water, 
they  managed,  within  an  hour  or  a  little  more,  to 
roll  all  of  it  through  the  deep  soft  sand  and  place 
it  on  the  wharf  by  the  side  of  the  ship. 

Max  directed  Billy  to  remain  on  the  wharf  and 
fasten  the  grappling  tongs  to  the  bales  one  after 
another.  He  himself  took  charge  of  the  hoist,  and 
with  its  aid  lifted  the  bales  aboard.  Tibe  stood 
at  the  hatchway  to  receive  the  bales  as  they  were 
swung  in  board,  and  to  guide  them  as  Max  low- 
ered them  into  the  hold.  When  four  bales  were 
in,  Max  suspended  the  hoisting,  he  and  Tibe  going 
below  to  roll  them  into  place  and  to  wedge  them 
securely  there  so  that  they  might  not  shift  when 
the  sloop  should  get  to  sea. 

350 


TOILERS  OF  THE  NIGHT 

He  directed  Billy,  while  this  was  going  on,  to 
go  up  to  the  camp  and  ascertain  George's  condi- 
tion. When  four  more  bales  were  lowered  into 
the  hold,  there  was  a  second  suspension  of  hoist- 
ing, for  the  same  purpose  as  before,  and  Billy 
made  a  second  visit  to  the  sick  man.  This  time 
he  reported  his  patient  slightly  improved. 

"  The  fever  is  slowly  abating/'  he  announced, 
"  and  the  delirium  has  given  way  to  sleep.  I  begin 
to  feel  sure  now  that  it  is  country  fever.  How 
I  do  wish  we  had  some  calomel  and  quinine !  " 

But  it  was  of  no  use  wishing,  and  Max  was 
ready  to  hoist  in  the  four  remaining  bales  of  the 
cargo.  When  that  was  done  and  the  bales  had 
all  been  properly  placed,  Max  called  out: 

"  Now  for  the  bale  marked  Circle  X !  " 

That  precious  charge  lay  far  down  the  shore 
of  the  bay,  and  daylight  was  upon  the  party  be- 
fore they  got  it  aboard.  But  the  brave  young 
fellows  had  accomplished  far  more  by  their  all 
night's  work,  than  they  had  expected  to  do. 

"  We  may  quit  now,"  said  Max,  "  and  get  some 
breakfast.  We  have  nearly  six  hours  left  before 
our  sailing  time.  In  that  time  we  can  easily  do 
the  little  that  remains  to  be  done.  Just  now  we 
are  famished  as  well  as  exhausted.  We  must 
have  something  to  eat.     We'll  fry  a  panful  of 

3Si 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

oysters  and  bacon,  and  make  a  big  pot  of  coffee. 
That,  with  some  ship  biscuit,  will  restore  our 
strength  mightily." 

"  Yes,"  said  Tibe,  who  could  never  quite  lay 
aside  his  mood  of  mild  jesting,  "  and  just  now 
I  am  prepared  to  contribute  liberally  to  a  monu- 
ment to  the  man  who  first  invented  eating.  I'd 
melt  down  our  last  frying  pan  to  furnish  the  metal 
for  his  statue." 


35* 


€< 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 
Once  More  Upon  the  Waters' 


THERE  was  time  enough,  as  Max  had  said, 
in  which  to  do  all  that  must  be  done  be- 
fore sailing;  but  there  was  no  time  to 
waste,  and  weary  as  they  were  the  three  youths 
were  busily  at  work  again  as  soon  as  breakfast 
was  over. 

"  Tibe,"  said  Max,  "  suppose  you  put  a  bushel 
or  so  of  oysters  aboard;  and  you,  Billy,  run  out 
to  the  old  garden  and  get  a  supply  of  sweet  po- 
tatoes. We  can't  bake  them  on  board,  but  we  can 
fry  them,  and  they  and  the  oysters  will  give  a  little 
variety  to  our  sea  fare.  In  the  meantime  I  will 
take  the  compass  and  the  chronometer  aboard  and 
fit  them  into  place.    Don't  waste  any  time." 

The  two  boys  returned  with  their  supplies  be- 
fore Max  had  quite  finished  his  work  of  securing 
the  compass  and  chronometer  in  place.  He  di- 
rected them  next  to  take  all  the  water  kegs  to  the 
spring  and  fill  them. 

"  I'll  be  there  in  time  to  help  roll  them,"  he 
said,  and  he  was  careful  to  keep  his  word,  for 
the  transportation  of  these  water  casks  was  one  of 

353 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

the  hardest  pieces  of  work  to  be  done  that  morn- 
ing. When  it  was  done,  the  weary  all  night  toil- 
ers proceeded  to  collect  all  the  tools,  cooking  uten- 
sils and  provisions  and  bestow  them  in  their  proper 
places  aboard.  They  took  on  board  also,  the  lar- 
gest of  their  clean  oyster  shells  for  drinking  cups. 

Then,  while  Max  busied  himself  lashing  the 
bale  marked  Circle  X  to  the  deck,  the  others  went 
into  the  woods  and  brought  out  a  large  supply  of 
the  long,  gray  Spanish  moss.  A  part  of  this  they 
arranged  into  a  soft  bed  for  George  Smith,  on 
deck  amidships.  The  rest  they  stowed  below  as  a 
reserve  supply  with  which  to  renew  the  wounded 
boy's  couch  from  time  to  time. 

"  Now,  fellows,  put  a  lot  of  those  planks 
aboard/'  said  Max.  "  We'll  need  some  of  them 
with  which  to  wedge  the  cargo  more  securely  in 
place.  We'll  do  that  after  we  get  to  sea.  We'll 
need  the  rest  to  split  up  and  burn  in  the  brazier, 
for  all  our  charcoal  floated  away  while  the  ship 
was  a  wreck." 

While  the  others  were  doing  this  Max  lashed 
the  anchor  to  its  fastenings,  and  personally  in- 
spected the  lashings  of  the  water  casks  to  see  that 
they  were  secure. 

11  Now,"  he  said,  detaching  the  jib  from  its 
stays,  "  we  must  bring  George  Smith  aboard  as 
gently  as  possible.    We  can  carry  him  in  the  jib 

354 


'Then    the    three    seized    the    corners    of    the   triangular 
cloth,  and  gently  carried  the  boy  to  the  ship." 


"ONCE  MORE  upon  the    WATERS" 

without  jolting  I  think.  Come  on.  It  is  full  high 
water  now,  and  we  must  get  under  way  as  soon 
as  possible." 

The  wounded  boy  was  much  improved.  His 
fever  had  almost  entirely  left  him,  thus  addition- 
ally confirming  Billy  in  his  conviction  that  it  was 
mainly  of  malarial  origin  and  character.  But  the 
poor  fellow  was  so  weak  that  he  could  scarcely  lift 
his  hand  to  his  head,  and  his  wounded  leg  was 
still  in  an  alarming  state  of  inflammation. 

"  The  fever  will  come  back  again,"  said  Billy. 
"  But  for  a  time  at  least  George  will  be  compara- 
tively easy.  The  problem  now  is  to  get  him  into 
a  hospital  before  the  wound  and  the  fever  can  kill 
him." 

They  spread  the  jib  sail  cloth  out  upon  the 
ground,  and  Tibe  tenderly  lifted  the  sick  boy  and 
laid  him  in  it,  Billy  in  the  meanwhile  so  arrang- 
ing a  bundle  of  moss  as  to  support  the  wounded 
leg  in  an  easy  condition.  Then  the  three  seized 
the  corners  of  the  triangular  cloth,  and  gently 
carried  the  boy  to  the  ship,  where  they  laid  him, 
in  the  most  comfortable  position  they  could  man- 
age to  secure,  upon  his  bed  of  moss.  By  Max's 
orders,  the  bed  had  been  laid  exactly  in  the  middle 
of  the  deck,  over  the  keel,  and  running  lengthwise 
the  ship,  so  as  to  reduce  the  effect  of  the  vessel's 
rolling,  to  a  minimum. 

355 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Now,  Tibe,"  said  Max,  "  you  are  our  master 
mechanic.  I  want  you  to  fasten  two  boards  on 
edge  to  the  deck,  one  on  each  side  of  the  bed,  so 
that  no  motion  of  the  sloop  can  roll  George  over. 
Brace  them  firmly.  I  believe  we  have  a  few  nails 
left.  While  you  are  doing  that  Billy  and  I  will  get 
the  boat  under  way.  Cast  her  loose,  Billy,  and 
then  jump  aboard.' ' 

As  soon  as  the  sloop  was  freed  from  her  moor- 
ings she  drifted,  upon  the  receding  tide,  away 
from  the  shore  and  out  into  the  bay.  Max  let 
out  the  main  sheet  to  its  full  length,  so  that  the 
boom  might  swing  free,  and  he  and  Billy  hoisted 
the  mainsail.  When  it  was  up  and  the  halyards 
were  made  fast,  Max  went  to  the  tiller  and  called 
to  Billy  to  haul  in  the  main  sheet.  The  wind  was 
light  even  outside  on  the  sea.  Within  the  little 
bay  it  was  a  mere  breeze,  but  it  sufficed  to  fill  the 
sail,  and  give  steerage  way  to  the  sloop. 

Under  Max's  careful  guidance  she  sped  gently 
forward,  into  the  narrow  entrance,  and  out  upon 
the  sea.  Catching  there  a  fresher  breeze,  she 
quickly  left  the  shore  behind,  and  little  by  little 
the  island  which  had  been  the  scene  of  such  try- 
ing adventures,  and  of  such  heroic  endeavors  to 
find  or  make  a  way  out  of  a  difficulty,  grew 
smaller  in  the  distance. 

"  We  are  exhausted,"  said  Tibe,  "  but  in  spite 

356 


«ONCE  MORE  upon  the  WATERS" 

of  that  let's  give  three  cheers  and  a  tiger  for  that 
little  scrap  of  land  which  has  served  us  so  well  for 
a  shelter.     Hip,  hip,  hurrah !  hurrah !   hurrah !  n 

Even  poor,  ill  George  Smith  feebly  joined  in 
the  cheering,  and  at  no  time  since  they  had  sailed 
out  of  Charleston  in  a  terrific  thunder  storm,  had 
the  little  company  been  one  half  so  happy  as  at 
this  moment. 

"  Go  forward,  boys,"  commanded  Max,  "  and 
set  the  jib.  Then  eat  a  biscuit  or  two  and  go  to 
sleep.    I'll  keep  watch  for  the  next  two  hours." 

He  said  this  scarcely  above  his  breath,  so  utterly 
was  his  strength  gone  out  of  him,  and  both  his 
companions  urged  him  to  sleep  first. 

"  No,"  he  said,  "  you  fellows  must  get  two 
hours'  sleep  now.  I  must  do  the  navigating  till 
we  get  well  away  from  the  island.  Besides,  I  have 
another  reason.  I  want  to  look  out  for  ships  till 
nightfall." 

"  Why,  Max  ?  You  don't  expect  to  be  over- 
hauled out  here  do  you  ?  " 

"  No.  But  I  want  to  overhaul  somebody  else. 
There,  I'm  too  tired  to  explain.    Go  to  sleep." 

During  his  two  hours  on  watch  Max  kept  his 
marine  glass  by  him,  and  frequently  scanned  the 
horizon  with  it.  But  no  ship  appeared.  He 
gnawed  upon  a  sea  biscuit  to  appease  his  appetite, 
and  when  his  time  was  up,  and  he  waked  Billy 

357 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

to  take  the  tiller,  he  opened  three  or  four  oysters 
in  succession  and  swallowed  them.  Then  he  threw 
himself,  exhausted,  upon  the  deck,  saying :  "  Hold 
the  course  we're  on,  Billy,  as  long  as  this  wind 
continues  steady.  If  it  shifts,  or  rises,  or  if  you 
sight  land  or  a  ship,  call  me  at  once.  When  your 
time  is  up  pass  the  same  orders  on  to  Tibe." 

A  minute  later,  the  weary  young  navigator  was 
asleep. 


358 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 
Nearing  Port 

WHEN  Billy  roused  Tibe  to  take  the  tiller, 
the  tall  fellow  was  almost  stupefied 
with  the  four  hours'  sleep  he  had  had 
after  the  long  strain  of  sleepless  and  tireless  toil. 
He  slipped  off  his  scant  clothing,  dipped  up  a  pail 
full  of  sea  water,  held  it  above  his  head  and 
emptied  it  over  his  person.  Repeating  this  "  eye 
opener,"  as  he  called  it,  three  or  four  times,  he 
felt  quite  fresh  again.  Throughout  the  night  the 
little  company  adhered  to  the  plan  of  standing  two 
hour  watches.  This  gave  to  each  boy  four  hours' 
sleep  to  every  two  hours  of  work,  and  when  morn- 
ing came,  they  were  all  fresh  enough  and  ener- 
getic enough  to  cook  and  eat  a  hearty  breakfast 
of  oysters,  bacon,  ship  biscuit  and  coffee,  after 
which  they  were  quite  themselves  again,  except 
for  some  slightly  painful  stiffness  in  their  over- 
taxed muscles.  Being  robust  and  perfectly  healthy 
young  fellows,  their  recovery  from  fatigue  had 
been  quick. 

Soon  after  breakfast,  Billy  examined  George 

359 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

and  found  him  again  in  a  high  fever.  With  Max's 
help  he  rigged  up  a  little  awning,  of  sail  cloth,  to 
protect  the  invalid  from  the  sun,  which  threat- 
ened to  shine  fervidly  as  the  day  advanced. 

Just  as  these  arrangements  for  the  sick  boy's 
comfort  were  completed,  Tibe,  who  was  at  the 
helm,  announced  a  sail  on  the  horizon.  Max  took 
the  tiller,  changed  the  sloop's  course,  and  bore 
down  upon  the  vessel.  As  the  Sarah  Ann  drew 
nearer  to  her,  Max  made  her  out  to  be  a  German 
brig,  and  when  he  came  near  enough  to  speak 
her,  he  bade  Billy  take  the  chronometer  and  be 
ready  to  set  it  the  moment  he  should  give  the 
order.  He  instructed  Tibe  to  pay  close  heed  to 
any  figures  he  might  give  him,  and  to  remember 
them.  Then  he  called  out  something  in  German 
to  the  stranger,  and  a  German  reply  came  back. 

"  Set  it  at  6.52,  Billy,"  the  young  captain  said 
quickly  and  Billy  obeyed  promptly.  Then  Max 
called  to  the  stranger  again,  and  when  the  answer 
came  back,  he  shouted : 

"  Danka  schon,  mein  Herr !    Guten  Morgen !  " 

Then  turning  to  Tibe  he  said : 

11  Remember  these  figures — twenty-six  forty, 
north,  seventy-one  twenty-seven  west.  Mark  that 
down  somewhere/'  and  he  handed  Tibe  a  little 
stub  of  a  pencil. 

Taking  up  his  sextant  he  made  an  observation, 

360 


NEARING  PORT 


Billy  giving  him  the  chronometer  time,  and  after 
figuring  a  while  on  a  piece  of  board,  he  said  with 
satisfaction : 

"  That  German  captain  has  got  his  reckoning 
quite  accurately.  I  make  it  within  a  minute  of 
his  figures.  How  much  was  the  chronometer  out 
of  the  way  before  you  set  it  Billy?  " 

"  Only  about  five  minutes." 

"  Well,  for  guess  work  that  was  a  pretty  close 
result.  Still  it  relieves  my  mind  to  have  the  error 
corrected.    I  know  the  way  to  Nassau  now." 

a  How  far  is  it?  "  eagerly  asked  Tibe,  who  had 
gone  back  to  the  helm  after  Max  had  laid  the 
course  anew. 

"  A  little  over  a  hundred  miles.  We  are  almost 
due  north  of  the  port — only  six  minutes  west  of 
north — and  we  are  one  degree  and  thirty-five 
minutes  north  of  it.  We  have  between  one  hun- 
dred and  five  and  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  to 
make — or  we  should  have  if  we  could  lay  a 
straight  course.  As  we  must  follow  a  channel  be- 
tween the  islands  we  have  a  trifle  farther  to  go. 
But  we  have  the  trade  wind  strong  now,  and  if  it 
holds,  we'll  be  in  port  by  the  morning  of  day 
after  tomorrow  at  furthest." 

"  Then  we'll  save  George  Smith's  life  yet,"  said 
Billy  with  a  glad  look  in  his  face.  "  His  fever  is 
not  nearly  so  high  today  as  it  was  yesterday. 

361 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

Your  remedy  of  travel  and  sea  air,  Max,  is  having 
its  effect." 

"  I  didn't  know  you  spoke  German,  Max,"  said 
Tibe;  "  you  rattled  off  all  that  like  a  Dutchman." 

"  I  do  not  speak  the  language,"  said  the  young 
captain,  "  at  least  in  any  creditable  way.  But  as 
I  have  spent  nearly  all  my  life  at  sea,  in  ships  that 
traded  to  all  countries,  I  have  picked  up  enough 
of  many  languages  to  understand  and  make  my- 
self understood  in  any  of  them,  so  far  as  simple 
things  are  concerned.  I  think  I  could  ask  those 
questions  which  I  asked  in  German  this  morning, 
in  the  language  of  any  maritime  country  in  the 
world,  including  Malay,  Chinese  and  Japanese. 
All  sailors  are  obliged  to  pick  up  a  smattering  of 
man)*  tongues  in  that  way — all  sailors  I  mean, 
who  make  trading  voyages  to  many  countries. 
Now  I  must  stop  talking  and  study  my  charts." 

When  Ma::  gt£  away  the  charts,  iialf  an  hour 
later,  Billy  said: 

"'  I'm  sorry  rfor  the  people  at  Nassau/1 

"Why,  Billy?" 

"  For  the  chock  they'll  get  when  we  go  ashore." 

"  Well,  wo  are  a  sorry  looking  lot,  aren't  we?  " 
said  Tibe,  looking  the  party  over.  ?  We  have  no 
hats,  and  no  coats.  We've  worn  our  flannel 
shirts  into  holes,  by  carrying  oysters  and  other 

362 


NEARING  PORT 


things  in  them.  Our  trousers  are  thoroughly  ven- 
tilated at  the  knees  and  elsewhere,  and  as  for  our 
boots,  they  are  such  as  the  meanest  beggar  alive 
would  scorn  to  wear." 

"  By  the  way,  Max,"  Billy  broke  in,  "  how  are 
we  to  get  any  clothing,  or  pay  for  our  board  in 
Nassau  ?  You  didn't  happen  to  bring  any  money 
with  you,  did  you?  " 

"  No.    But  well  get  all  we  need  at  Nassau." 

"  How  will  you  manage  that?  " 

"  Why,  the  agent  to  whom  the  bale  marked 
Circle  X  is  consigned,  probably  has  orders  to  pro- 
vide for  our  necessities.  If  not,  we've  got  the 
twelve  other  bales,  and  at  present  prices  for  cotton 
at  Nassau  they  are  worth  a  moderate  fortune — 
three  or  four  thousand  dollars  in  gold  at  the  very 
least." 

"  But  won't  the  agent  take  them?  " 

"  Not  if  I  do  not  ask  him  to  do  so.  I  had  them 
consigned  to  me  as  master  of  the  ship.  I  can  do 
whatever  I  think  best  to  do  with  the  ship  and  all 
her  cargo — all  but  the  bale  marked  Circle  X.  Our 
cargo  does  not  belong  to  the  government,  but  to 
Fraser,  Trenholm  &  Co.  I  can  do  what  I  please 
with  the  proceeds  of  its  sale,  only  accounting  to 
Fraser,  Trenholm  &  Co.,  who  will  of  course  be 
reimbursed  by  the  government  for  such  part  of 

363 


THE  BALE  MARKED  CIRCLE  A 

the  proceeds  as  I  find  it  necessary  to  spend  for 
our  support.  So  you  see  we  shall  be  in  abundant 
funds,  when  we  get  to  Nassau." 

"  What  will  you  do  with  the  money,  Max?" 

"  Buy  quinine.  That  is  just  now  the  most 
precious  of  all  commodities  in  the  Confederacy. 
We'll  ship  it  on  the  government  blockade  runner, 
R.  E.  Lee,  commanded  by  my  father's  friend 
Captain  Wilkinson,  formerly  of  the  United  States 
Navy.  And  we'll  take  passage  with  him  too,  on 
his  next  trip.  Now  to  business.  From  now  until 
we  make  port,  I  shall  stay  at  the  helm  during  all 
the  night  watches,  leaving  you  two  fellows  only 
the  day  shifts.  As  I  have  already  explained  to 
you,  there  may  be  some  difficult  sailing  to  do 
among  these  unlighted  islands,  so  I  must  be  on 
watch  whenever  it  is  dark.  You  two  are  also  to 
wake  me  during  the  day,  if  you  sight  land  at  any 
time  or  if  any  other  emergency  arises." 

No  emergency  arose  during  that  day,  however, 
and  Max  managed  to  get  abundant  sleep.  About 
five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  he  took  an  observa- 
tion and  worked  out  the  ship's  position.  Then 
turning  to  Billy,  he  asked : 

"  How  is  your  patient?" 

"  Much  better.  His  fever  has  abated  and  he 
is  resting  comfortably.  You  were  clearly  right  in 
thinking  the  sea  air  and  change  would  benefit 

364 


NEARING  PORT 


him.  I  made  up  a  little  dish  for  him  a  while  ago 
— sea  biscuit  stewed  in  oyster  broth — and  he  is 
the  better  for  having  eaten  some  of  it." 

At  this  moment  George  called  Max  in  a  feeble 
voice,  and  the  young  shipmaster  went  at  once 
and  sat  down  by  his  side. 

"  Max/'  said  the  boy  presently,  "  we  are  near- 
ing  port,  are  we  not?  " 

"  Yes,  George,  and  I  am  glad  of  it  especially 
on  your  account.  We  hurried  as  much  as  we 
could,  to  get  you  away  from  that  island,  and — " 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  the  boy.  "  You  fellows 
worked  all  night  and  nearly  killed  yourselves  try- 
ing to  save  my  life.  I  was  out  of  my  head  some- 
times, but  whenever  the  fever  went  down,  I  knew 
what  was  going  on,  and  I  can  never  thank  any  of 
you  enough  for  your  self  sacrificing  efforts  on  my 
behalf." 

"  We  don't  want  thanks,  George.  We  only 
want  you  to  get  well  and  strong  again.  We 
worked  hard  because  we  were  determined  to  get 
you  into  a  hospital  before  it  should  be  too  late, 
and  we  shall  succeed  in  that,  now.  By  my  latest 
reckoning,  we  have  only  about  eighty  miles  be- 
tween us  and  Nassau,  so  if  the  weather  holds 
good,  we  ought  to  be  there  by  this  time  tomorrow 
for  the  ship  is  behaving  beautifully,  and  the  wind 
is  altogether  favorable." 

365 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Thank  you  all !  "  said  the  boy,  with  all  of 
fervor  that  his  weakness  permitted.  "  Now  I 
want  to  say  something,  while  the  fever  is  off, 
for  I  suppose  it  will  come  on  again  tomorrow.  I 
want  you  to  keep  that  watch  of  mine,  Max,  and 
then  you'll  remember  your  wounded  passenger 
every  time  you  consult  it.  It  has  one  great  merit 
— it  is  as  true  as  you  fellows  are." 

Max  quickly  found  out  that  it  was  useless  to 
protest.     So  he  accepted  the  proffered  souvenir. 


366 


CHAPTER  XL 
Major  Max 

NO  further  event  of  importance  occurred 
during  the  remainder  of  the  voyage. 
George's  fever  returned  in  the  morning 
of  the  next  day,  but  with  very  moderate  severity, 
and  it  abated  almost  entirely  about  noon.  At  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  entrance  to  Nassau 
harbor  lay  a  few  miles  ahead.  Max  stood  at  the 
helm,  his  chart  spread  out  before  him  and  in  con- 
stant use. 

At  three  o'clock  the  sloop  passed  over  the  bar, 
and  sailed  into  port. 

"  Lower  away  the  mainsail,"  he  called  to  his 
companions,  "and  cast  the  anchor  overboard." 

With  a  great  sigh  of  relief,  and  a  look  of  exulta- 
tion in  his  face,  the  young  shipmaster  left  the 
tiller  and  began  pacing  the  deck  in  triumph. 

"  We  have  done  the  trick,  fellows/'  he  said, 
using  the  nautical  phrase  quite  unconsciously. 
"  We  have  saved  George  Smith's  life,  and  we 
have  brought  the  bale  marked  Circle  X  in  safety 
to  Nassau.  Now,  we  must  wait  here  till  the  port 
officers  come  aboard." 

367 


THE  BALE  MARKED    CIRCLE  X 

There  was  not  long  to  wait.  The  officers  rather 
wonderingly  learned  that  this  clumsy  and  patched 
old  harbor  sloop  had  actually  run  the  close  block- 
ade at  Charleston,  and  made  her  way  to  the  capital 
of  the  Bahamas.  They  "  passed  "  the  ship  and 
permitted  her  to  lay  herself  alongside  Fraser, 
Trenholm  &  Company's  dock. 

There  the  Confederate  agent  came  aboard. 
Max's  first  demand  was  for  the  United  States 
Consul  or  other  official. 

"  What  have  you  to  do  with  the  United  States 
officials?  "  asked  the  agent.  "  Your  ship  is  under 
the  Confederate  flag." 

"  Yes,  I  know/'  answered  the  young  ship- 
master, "  but  I  have  a  wounded  and  very  sick 
young  Federal  soldier  aboard,  whom  I  want  to 
place  in  hospital  at  once.  We  picked  him  up  from 
the  water  as  we  were  sailing  out  of  Charleston; 
I  want  to  put  him  into  the  hands  of  some  official 
of  his  own  government,  who  has  authority  to  look 
after  him." 

The  agent  wanted  to  hear  the  whole  story,  be- 
fore acting,  but  Max  impatiently  took  matters  into 
his  own  hands,  and  asked  one  of  the  clerks  of 
Fraser,  Trenholm  &  Co.,  to  send  for  the  United 
States  Consul  at  once.  Within  half  an  hour,  an 
ambulance  was  brought  and  George  was  lifted 
into  it,  the  consul  warmly  commending  the  ship's 

368 


MAJOR  MAX 


company  for  their  generous  and  kindly  care  of 
him. 

"Good-bye  for  the  present,  George,"  said  Max 
as  he  and  his  comrades  placed  the  wounded  young 
man  in  the  easy  moving  vehicle.  "  We  will  visit 
you  at  the  hospital  as  soon  as  we  get  through  our 
immediate  business,  and  make  ourselves  present- 
able." 

When  the  ambulance  had  moved  off,  Max 
turned  to  the  Confederate  agent,  who  seemed  a 
person  "  flyblown  with  authority  and  conceit/' 
as  Billy  said,  and  asked  if  he  could  provide  food 
and  clothing  for  himself  and  his  crew. 

"  I  have  orders,"  said  the  agent,  "  to  look  to 
the  wants  of  Mr.  Voxetter  and  his  crew.  Or 
rather  I  had  such  orders,  when  the  Sarah  Ann 
was  expected  here.  But  you  have  so  unaccount- 
ably delayed  your  arrival — " 

"  I  am  in  no  way  accountable  to  you,  sir,  I  be- 
lieve/5 Max  answered  hotly,  "  and  I  will  thank 
you  to  reserve  any  criticism  you  may  have  to  make 
upon  my  conduct  of  this  expedition.  I'll  make 
my  report  on  that  subject  to  the  War  Department 
at  Richmond.  Now  will  you  or  will  you  not 
provide  us  with  clothing  and  food  supplies?" 

The  man's  dignity  was  deeply  offended.  He 
answered : 

"  When    you    establish    your  identity  to    my 

369 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

satisfaction,  I  will  do  what  is  necessary.  At  pres- 
ent I  have  no  means  of  knowing  whether  you  are 
Captain  Voxetter,  or  some  person  who  has  cap- 
tured Captain  Voxetter's  ship  and  cargo.  So  I'll 
take  charge  of  the  bale  marked  Circle  X,  and 
when  you  establish  your  identity — " 

"  And  I,  in  my  turn,"  answered  Max,  with 
flushed  face  and  flaming  eyes,  "  have  no  means  of 
knowing  whether  you  are  the  person  you  profess 
to  be,  or  some  enemy  of  my  government,  endeavor- 
ing to  secure  possession  of  the  bale  marked  Circle 
X.  I  will  trouble  you  to  prove  your  identity. 
Until  you  do  so,  I  will  not  deliver  the  bale  marked 
Circle  X  into  your  hands." 

"  But  all  these  people  know  me,"  said  the  man, 
waving  his  hand  toward  the  clerks  and  others  on 
the  wharf. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  answered  Max,  nonchalantly, 
"  but  I  do  not  know  them.  I'll  trouble  you  to 
establish  your  identity  by  the  testimony  of  some 
witness  who  is  known  to  me." 

"  But,  that  is  nonsense  "  said  the  agent.  "  You 
do  not  know  anybody  in  Nassau,  and  my  official 
position  is  known  to  everybody." 

"  So  is  mine,  as  master  of  this  ship,"  said  Max. 
"  The  port  officers  here  have  accepted  my  papers 
and  passed  the  ship  with  me  in  command.  I  did 
not  invite  this  contest  of  red  tape.     You  forced 

37° 


MAJOR  MAX 


it  upon  me.  Now  I  shall  not  recede  an  inch  from 
the  position  I  have  taken.  When  you  establish 
your  identity — personal  and  official — to  my  satis- 
faction, I  will  deliver  the  bale  marked  Circle  X 
into  your  hands,  and  I  will  not  do  so  till  then. 
As  for  the  rest,  I  ask  no  favors  of  you.  I  have 
the  means  of  providing  for  all  our  wants." 

With  that  Max  turned  on  his  heel  and  began 
talking  with  a  representative  of  the  Fraser  house. 

The  now  crestfallen  jack-in-office  went  to  him, 
and  in  an  apologetic  tone  said: 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Captain  Voxetter.  I  did 
not  mean  to  affront  you.  I  am  entirely  ready  to 
recognize  your  identity  and  provide  for  your 
needs — " 

"  I  have  withdrawn  my  request  for  assistance 
at  your  hands/'  said  Max  with  indifference.  "  As 
for  the  bale  marked  Circle  X,  I  am  ready  to  de- 
liver it  as  soon  as  you  establish  your  identity,  as 
I  have  already  notified  you." 

"  But  how  can  I  do  that?" 

"  That  is  your  affair,  not  mine,"  replied  the 
young  shipmaster. 

"  Do  you  know  anybody  in  Nassau?  " 

"  I  am  not  sure.  Is  the  steamer  Robert  E.  Lee 
in  port?" 

"Yes.  She  arrived  from  Wilmington  yester- 
day." 

371 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Very  well,  I  am  personally  acquainted  with 
Captain  Wilkinson.  Perhaps  you  might  persuade 
him  to  come  to  my  ship  and  identify  you." 

"  That  would  be  asking  a  good  deal  of  him — M 

"  Oh,  as  you  please,"  said  Max.  "  But  you 
must  be  identified.  I  only  offered  what  I  thought 
might  be  a  helpful  suggestion." 

The  agent  saw  that  he  was  completely  beaten 
at  his  own  game  of  lordly  arrogance.  He  had  in- 
sisted upon  "  red  tape  "  and  had  awkwardly  man- 
aged to  get  himself  badly  entangled  in  it.  He 
had  no  choice  but  to  accept  the  humiliation  which 
he  had  brought  upon  himself.  He  entered  his 
carriage,  and  drove  away.  Half  an  hour  later 
he  returned,  bringing  Captain  Wilkinson  with 
him.  The  captain,  who  knew  the  popinjay  airs 
of  the  agent,  grasped  the  situation  instantly,  and 
laughed  heartily  as  he  greeted  Max,  formally  in- 
troducing the  agent. 

Max  thereupon  made  formal  delivery  of  the 
bale  marked  Circle  X,  taking  duplicate  receipts 
for  it,  one  of  which  he  put  into  his  pocket  as 
his  voucher,  while  he  left  the  other  with  the 
Fraser  firm,  to  be  sent  by  the  blockade-running 
steamer  which  should  leave  Nassau  next  after 
his  own  departure.  This  precaution  was  rendered 
necessary,  by  the  fact  that  as  a  passenger  on  board 
Captain  Wilkinson's  steamer,  he  might  be  cap- 

37* 


MAJOR  MAX 


tured.  He  wished  to  make  sure  that  the  evidence 
of  his  successful  performance  of  his  duty  should 
in  any  case  reach  the  War  Department. 

Max  then  arranged  for  the  speedy  sale  of  his 
cargo,  and  the  investment  of  its  proceeds  in  qui- 
nine. A  hundred  dollars  or  so  sufficed  to  clothe 
and  equip  the  ship's  company,  and  one  week  later, 
after  affectionate  adieus  to  George,  whose  condi- 
tion was  quite  satisfactorily  improving  under 
skilled  treatment,  the  three  young  adventurers, 
sailed  as  passengers  on  board  the  blockade-run- 
ning steamer,  Robert  E.  Lee, 

During  the  week  spent  in  Nassau,  Max  wrote 
out  his  report,  telling  briefly  the  story  of  his  voy- 
age. On  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  at  Wilming- 
ton, Max  surprised  the  officials  at  Richmond  with 
a  telegram,  saying: 

"  Delivered  bale  marked  Circle  X  to  agent  at 
Nassau,  and  returned  with  companions  on  steamer 
Robert  E.  Lee.     Am  awaiting  orders." 

This  telegram  was  the  first  word  the  officials 
in  Richmond  had  heard  of  Max  since  the  Sarah 
Ann  had  sailed  out  of  Charleston.  They  had  long 
since  given  up  the  expedition  as  lost,  and  their 
gratification  over  this  news  of  its  success  was 
great. 

Presently  Max  received  a  telegraphic  reply  as 
follows : 


373 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

"  Congratulations  and  thanks.  Report  in  per- 
son at  this  department,  as  speedily  as  possible. 
Order  your  men  also  to  Richmond.  Quarter- 
master and  Commissary  at  Wilmington  have  tele- 
graphic orders  to  furnish  transportation  and  ra- 
tions." 

On  his  arrival  at  Richmond,  Max  submitted  his 
formal  written  report,  and  in  answer  to  the  ques- 
tions of  the  little  colonel,  who  was  now  a  little 
brigadier-general,  he  orally  related  the  events  of 
the  voyage.  In  both  his  written  and  oral  reports, 
he  dwelt  strongly  on  the  faithfulness,  sagacity  and 
tireless  energy  with  which  William  O.  Boker  and 
Tiberius  Gracchus  Smith  had  seconded  his  efforts, 
and  the  extent  to  which  the  success  of  the  expedi- 
tion was  due  to  their  assistance. 

"  Now,  Major,"  said  the  little  brigadier,  "  now 
that  you  are  a  commissioned  officer,  I  may  with 
propriety  ask  you  to  dine  with  me  today.  I  hope 
you  will  give  me  the  pleasure  of  your  company.  I 
will  invite  some  people  to  meet  you,  and  I'll  ex- 
pect you  to  entertain  all  of  us  by  telling  the  singu- 
larly interesting  story  of  your  remarkable  voyage 
at  table.  We  dine  at  four.  That  will  give  you 
time,  perhaps,  to  fit  yourself  out  with  the  uniform 
of  your  rank." 

"  But,  I  do  not  understand,  General — " 

"  Don't  you  remember,  I  told  you  the  last  time 

374 


MAJOR  MAX 


we  met,  that  if  you  ever  got  back  from  this  ex- 
pedition, you  should  be  a  major  without  the  pre- 
fix of  '  sergeant '  ?  The  moment  your  telegram 
came,  announcing  your  success,  the  President, 
who  is  deeply  gratified  by  the  service  you  have 
so  masterfully  rendered,  ordered  your  major's 
commission  to  be  made  out  to  date  from  the  day 
you  sailed  out  of  Charleston.  It  is  in  my  desk, 
and  I  will  send  it  to  your  hotel  at  once.  You  will 
need  a  little  money  of  course,  and  so  you'd  better 
draw  the  month's  pay  that  is  already  due  you  as 
a  major." 

"  But,  General,  I  really  cannot  consent  to  this. 
I  have  tried  to  make  it  clear  that  my  compan- 
ions— " 

"  Oh,  you're  quite  right.  Quite  right.  I  forgot 
to  tell  you  that  they  are  provided  for.  It  was  very 
careless  of  me,  very  careless.  Orders  were  sent 
to  them  an  hour  ago  to  report  to  an  examining 
board,  and  commissions  will  be  issued  to  them 
as  first  lieutenants.  I'll  see  you  at  four.  Till 
then  au  revoir." 

Major  Maximilian  Voxetter  thanked  the  briga- 
dier and  bowed  himself  out  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment. The  incident  of  the  bale  marked  Circle  X 
was  ended. 


375 


THE  BALE   MARKED  CIRCLE  X 

In  the  month  of  May,  1865, — the  war  being 
over — Major  Max  lay  upon  a  joggling  board  in 
the  veranda  of  his  Charleston  home,  weak  and 
worn  with  the  fever  which  had  been  his  trouble- 
some companion  during  all  the  marching  and 
fighting  that  had  marked  the  closing  scenes  of 
the  great  struggle.  He  had  steadfastly  refused 
to  yield  to  the  weakening  malady,  until  the  final 
end  came.  Then  he  betook  himself  to  Charles- 
ton for  rest  and  recuperation. 

As  he  lay  there  upon  his  joggling  board,  he 
heard  a  step  on  the  veranda.  It  was  a  halting 
step,  as  of  one  who  was  slightly  lame.  Max  sat 
up,  and  the  next  instant  exclaimed: 

"  Why,  it  is  dear  old  George  Smith !  " 

"  Yes/'  answered  the  other.  "  I  have  come  for 
my  revenge.  You  are  ill  and  this  climate  is 
poisonous  to  one  in  your  condition.  I  have  come  to 
take  you  away  to  my  home  among  the  Maryland 
hills.  You  are  my  prisoner  now,  and  we  are  to 
sail  by  a  steamer  which  leaves  Charleston  to- 
night" 

THE  END 


376 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


3  0112  102372726 


Ml  mUm(»tt»»i!mu 


